


Danganronpa: Away

by VGCKenny



Series: Danganronpa: Away [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Fangan Ronpa, Multi, Original Story - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-04-04 21:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 101,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14028747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VGCKenny/pseuds/VGCKenny
Summary: 16 Students about to enter Hope's Peak are carried off by a mysterious robotic bird. He informs them that had they gone to Hope's Peak, their lives would be in danger, so he took them away for safekeeping. However, fate has other plans in mind. You can't run away forever.





	1. Danganronpa: Away Prologue: Beginnings (Part 1)

Hope’s Peak Academy. A prestigious school that has a reputation for allowing kids with special talents in and guaranteeing their success. Which begs the question, why am I here?

They don’t allow submissions, you have to be invited. I got invited, but I don’t see why. I’m just an average student. They don’t seem to know either, all it says is “Welcome: Justin Arbil, Ultimate: ???” I should introduce myself now, I guess. My name is Justin Arbil. I am an average high school student with no particular talent. I mean, I’m good in school, I guess, but not good enough to warrant an invitation to a prestigious academy. Still, I was forced to go by my parents. Pushy they are. I was standing outside, contemplating what’s going on. I mean, I checked out their website, and they have some pretty spectacular students going here. There was a news reporter, and a parkour artist, and a sculptor, and many others. It really is amazing what these people can do, really. And yet, here I am with not talents.

“Well, I guess I should head in” I said to myself. But, just as I was about to walk in, a giant bird picked me up and is now flying me across the city.

“This is for your own protection” said the bird. I was worried that I would fall. The bird was holding me tight though. We must have flown for hours. Finally, we arrived at a recently repaired building. It appeared to be a school. “This is the old Hope’s Peak Academy” said the bird. “I will be dropping you off here. You are the last student. Everyone else is waiting for you.” The bird let me down right outside. This is when I first got a look at him. He was white on one side, and green on the other side.

I decided to walk in the building. right as I walked in, I noticed 15 other students. I recognized some of them from the website. These were my classmates. “You will introduce yourselves, and then I will explain to you what is going on” said the White-Green bird.

No one was willing to start introducing themselves though. Finally, I decided to introduce myself to people. It was hard to decide which person to introduce myself to first though. I eventually decided to go down the line. I first a man in a black trench-coat, gelled up black hair, a black shirt, black pants, black shoes, and a sword. “Um, hello” I said. “My name is Justin Arbil.”

The man replied “Ah. Hello good sir. My name is Troy Devilnski. Ultimate Parkour Artist. And you, good sir, must be the odd one out. No worries though. You are still as important as all of us. I’m sure we can have a great time doing what ever it is we’re doing here.”

This guy is weird I thought. I was worried about the sword, but not any more. “By the way, do you know what we’re doing here?’ I asked.

"No” he responded.

He is weird I thought again. Next I went to talk to a spiky haired guy wearing a green basket ball uniform and sunglasses. “Hi. My name is Justin Arbil. You must be the basket ball player.”

“Damn straight” he said. “My name is Buck Raptor.Listen, even though you don’t have a talent, I don’t care.”

Again, with the talent thing I thought. “Um, do you know why we’re here?”

Buck lowered his sunglasses and said “No.”

“Alright” I said. I moved on to the next person. It was a girl. She had blonde hair in a ponytail, a green shirt, brown short shorts, goggles, and a tool kit on her waist. “Hi there. My name is Justin Arbil” I said.

“Oh, hello” said the girl. “My name is Tammy Sparks. The Ultimate Technician. Listen, you don’t have to worry about anything.” I got an annoyed look on my face. “I can pretty much do anything with my skill.” My annoyance went away. “So, no need to worry.” She was sweet.

I moved on to a man in a red tank-top, blonde spiky hair, cargo pants and a goatee. “Hey man” he said as I approached. “Listen, I can sense great things from you. Now, I am Pierce Legna. The Ultimate Weapons Expert. And you are Justin Arbil, the mystery man.” I was too shocked to give a response.

I moved down the line to a girl wearing a brown, buttoned up trench-coat, black jeans, glasses, and a reporters hat. It was soooooooooo hard guessing who she was. “Hey” I said. “My name Justin Arbil. You are Anabelle Winchill, the new reporter, aren’t you?”

“I most certainly am” she said with a grin. She took out a little notebook. “So, how does it feel to be the only one here with out an apparent talent?”

“Why does everyone keep focusing on that?” I asked.

“Because, it’s news” said Anabelle. “And, as a reporter, it’s my job to report the news.”

“Well, I feel annoyed that people keep bringing it up” I said.

“Good. That’s some good stuff” she said.

“Whatever” I said.

I made my way to a girl wearing a white shirt, a blue apron, a green bandanna, red hair, and jeans. “Oh hello” she said. “My name Maria Albright. I’m the Ultimate Tapestry Artist.” I looked at her for a bit. “What?” she said.

“Aren’t you going to say something about the fact that I’m the odd one out here?” I asked.

“Why no, silly” she said. “Why would you say that?”

“It’s been a recurring theme when I introduce myself to people” I said.

“Aw. There there” she said, as she gave me a hug. “Is that better?”

“…Sure” I said. I moved on to a lanky man wearing a smock, a green sweater, corduroys, and black shoes. He had a big round nose, closed eyes, and short brown hair with a little bit of it sticking up. He seemed mad right now. “Uh, Hi” I said.

“Don’t ‘Hi’ me” he said. “You just hugged my girlfriend!”

“Oh” I said. “She was just comforting me is all. Really, it’s nothing.”

“Oh” he said. “That’s cool then. Anyway, my name is Roman Grace. I am the Ultimate Sculptor.”

“Alright. Are we cool?’ I said.

"We’re cool” Roman said. “For now.”

With that, I moved on to a man with tan shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, a fishers hat, and colored-lens sunglasses. “Hello” he said. “I am Duke Hunter. Ultimate Chemist. Listen, I am only here to help. I might throw out some crazy ideas, but just know, that I’m usually right. I have to be. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. I’d be a pile of ash. Because, even though, I saw giant bugs in the room, I still got the compound right.”

You know what. Troy is now not weird on account of this guy I thought. I moved on to a girl wearing a sailor outfit, (red ascot, white top, and a blue skirt) brown hair in a pony tail. “Hi there” she said. “Don’t be so intimidated. I’m friendly. My name is Elliot Fariville. Ultimate Contestant.”

“How does that work?” I asked.

“It’s simple, really” she said. “Every contest I’ve entered, I’ve won.”

“I see” I said.

“Eating contests, shooting contests, contests of strength, you name it.”

“Interesting” I said. “My name is Justin Arbil.”

“Oh, you’re the person with no talent” she said. “Gosh, you seem cuter in person."

"Thank you” I said. I went down the line to a man with shaggy brown hair, a blue shirt, red pants, long socks, and track shoes. “Hello” I said. “My name is Justin Arbil. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too” he said. “My name is Jay Lafayette. The Ultimate Track Member. Listen, I’ll be on you side. Your not having a talent just means that there is a talent inside, waiting to get out.”

“That’s the best thing anyone has said about me since I got here” I said.

“It’s true” he replied.

I moved on to a guy wearing a suit. He was small, a bit timid, and had sort of messy black hair and glasses. “Oh, hey there” he said. “My name is Andy Fisher. I’m the Ultimate Trivia Expert.”

“Hello, Andy” I said. “Um, are you alright?”

“FINE!” he said. “Just fine.”

“I see” I said. I moved on to a woman with long black hair, a white shirt, a purple coat, jeans, and gloves. “Hello there. I am Justin Arbil.”

“That’s nice” she said. “I am Rachel Lewis. The Ultimate Historian. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not. Anyway, I went to a girl wearing glasses, a no-sleeve sweater, brown pants, sandals, headphones, and some wristbands. “Hey, wazzup?! My name is May Venus. I am the Ultimate DJ. This is gonna be awesome” she said.

“So, do you know what’s going on?” I asked.

“Not really” she replied.

“Figures” I said.

I moved to a girl wearing a white shirt, a green hoodie, and a black skirt. “Hi” she said. “My name is Sophie Lincoln. Ultimate Good Luck.”

“Is that a talent even?” I asked.

“Look who’s talking” she replied. I gave her a look. “Kidding, Kidding. Well, it’s Hope’s Peak Policy to let one student in based entirely on luck. And, as luck would have it, I got in.”

“Oh” I said. “That doesn’t explain why I’m here though.”

“Yeah, sorry” she said.

Anyway, the last person I met was a girl, who was wearing a black zipped up hoodie, and had a lavender skirt. “Hi there” she said. “I am Cassy Williams. I am the Ultimate Detective. You must be Justin Arbil.”

“Why yes, that’s correct” I said. “How did you know?”

“I’m a detective” she said cheerily. “I do look into people. I’m quite skilled at it.”

“Interesting” I sad. Within minutes, every one was talking to each other.

“SO, is everyone acquainted?” the Bird asked. We all nodded. “Good. Now, he’s why you’re here. Hope’s Peak Academy is under investigation. If you were to enter, the police would not be able to investigate. So, we brought you here to keep you out of danger. You would have all died in Hope’s Peak. This building is the old Hope’s Peak building. We recently acquired it and are using it to keep you safe for as long as possible. We don’t know how long this investigation will be, so we’ve arranged it so that you can live here for a while. You can call me Monobird. I will be in charge of guarding you and making sure nothing bad happens."

Everyone was surprised. Except the detective. She was smiling. I thought that was weird. Still, we’re safe. And that’s all that matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the first part of a story I've been meaning to tell for a while. This part, and this part alone was written almost five years ago. I've been getting back into DR and decided I should finish this. So, this part is a little wonky, especially compared to the rest of the work I have written so far, but I decided to keep it mostly as is because it's not completely out of wack. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story.


	2. Danganronpa: Away Prologue: Beginnings (Part 2)

“Wha- What do you mean we’d all die?” asked Andy.

“And why are you investigating Hope’s Peak?” asked Annabelle.

“It is complicated” said Monobird.

“Look” said Buck, “ we were just dragged to an old building across town by a mysterious bird. I think we deserve some damn answers!”

“…Fine” said Monobird. “I can’t give you all the details, but I will tell you what I can. Someone on the Hope’s Peak staff was planning to kill the 16 of you. We aren’t sure who among the staff it is, but we know it is a staff member.”

“Hold on” butted in Duke. “Why just the 16 of us? Surely, there are hundreds of other students at Hope’s Peak.”

Tammy chimed in “Yeah, and how could you possibly know that someone in the staff is planning to kill us?”

“…A few weeks ago we received a letter” continued Monobird in his explanation. “It had the Hope’s Peak insignia on it. They sent a letter detailing that you 16 students will die. We don’t know why you were chosen by whoever it was.”

“Hold on, good sir” interrupted Troy. “Couldn’t someone have forged the insignia?”

“No” said Cassy. “Hope’s Peak is too prestigious. It would be hard to fake an insignia from them. Well, unless you were the Ultimate Forger of course. But, that’s neither here nor there.”

“As I was saying” said Monobird, “We were shocked by this claim. We decided to take action and protect you 16 no matter what. We purchased this old building, renovated it, and had it stocked so you can live here until our investigation has cleared up.”

“Hold on” I said. Some of this doesn’t sit right with me. “Who is this ‘we’ you keep referring to?”

“Huh?” said Sophie.

“You know, that is weird” said Roman.

“You keep saying ‘we’ when referring to events that have occured” I continued. “Why is that?”

“Very well” said Monobird. “We are the police.” Everyone was shocked. I knew I had to press on.

“I see” I said. “That’s kind of what I was expecting. But this brings me to another question. Why do all of this?”

“WHAT?! Whaddoyoumean?” asked May.

“I mean, why go through all of this trouble?” I asked. “It’s one thing to protect us. It’s a whole other thing to renovate an entire building. You must really believe that whoever sent the letter will kill us.” Monobird stayed silent. “Why is that?” Monobird kept quiet. “Are you going to answer?”

“Alright, I can tell you that much, since you brought it up and everything” said Monobird. “The letter we got was signed by the Ultimate Killer.” At that moment everyone froze. The Ultimate Killer. He is a serial killer who says he graduated from Hope’s Peak to be the best at killing. He has killed several people without a trace. He appears in the news every so often; every time he kills someone new. It’s no wonder that all of us were under duress.

“So that’s why you took these precautions” I said.

“But we don’t need to worry about that right?” said Maria.

“Right” said Rachel. “Because we’re here now. He can’t get to us.”

“Right” said Jay. “There’s no way the Ultimate Killer would be able to find us here.”

“Hold on” said Cassy. “How did the Ultimate Killer get on the Hope’s Peak staff?”

“We don’t know” said Monobird, regretfully. “The head detective has been racking his brains about that one for a while.”

“I need to come in and investigate with you!” shouted Cassy.

“NO! That’d be too dangerous!” Monobird shouted back.

“Danger doesn’t mean a thing to me, as long as I can solve the crime” said Cassy gleefully. “Come on, let me join the task force.”

“NO!” said Monobird. “You’d also be putting the rest of us in danger by doing that as well.”

“Oh” said Cassy. “OK, I guess…” She seemed really excited to join the task force.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be going anywhere anytime soon” said Pierce. “What should we do?”

“If we’re going to be here a while, I guess being friends would be a good idea” said Andy.

“Yeah, we should make the most of our situation” said Elliot. “But how?”

“I know!” said Jay. “We should kick off our friendship by sharing a meal.”

“That sounds great!” said Tammy. “Hey Monobird! Where’s the kitchen?”

“It is down the hall, and to the left. RIght next to the gym” said Monobird. We all headed down there.

“WOW!” said Sophie. “This kitchen has everything you could ask for.”

“Indeed” said Rachel. “Which begs the question, what should we have to celebrate.”

“I dunno” said Buck. “All I know is I’m hungry.” We all were. It’s been kind of a long day as it was. First we get dragged someplace far away and then we’re told a crazed killer is trying to kill us. That would take a lot out of anybody.

“I have an idea” said Troy. “Why don’t we make a super large pizza for all of us to share?”

“That sounds like a great idea” said Maria.

“Yeah” said Roman.

“Umm, I’d have to make my own personal pizza” I said nervously.

“Huh?!” said Troy. “Why is that, good sir?”

_Why does he keep saying that?_ “Well, it’s just…” I said nervously, “I’m allergic to tomatoes.” I looked down.

“Whoa, seriously?” said Buck.

“Yeah. It’s really bad” I said.

“I see” said Cassy. “So, even if we were careful in mapping out a section for you, it would be hard to avoid tomatoes.”

Yeah…” I said, ashamedly.

Troy jumped in ”Well that’s no problem, good sir. We can all just make personal pizzas. That way, everyone will get what they want.”

“That sounds fantastic” said Sophie.

We all gathered in the kitchen. It was a bit cramped, but we had enough room to make our individual pizzas. We had a lot of fun getting our ingredients and placing them on our pizzas.

“You’re really good at this Sophie” said Rachel.

“You think so?” said Sophie. “Yours looks good too.”

“Hey honey” said Roman, “I made mine with extra peppers. I know how much you like peppers.”

“That’s funny. I put sausages on mine because I know how much you like sausages” said Maria.

“Aww” said Roman. “Should we just trade?”

“I think we must” said Maria.

“Why the fuck are you putting pineapple on pizza?!” said Buck.

“Because, you plebeian” said Duke “pineapple is acidic. It really balances itself out on a base like cheese.”

“That’s stupid” said Buck. “The only thing worse is if someone put anchovies on their pizza!”

“Umm, I happen to be putting anchovies on my pizza” said Andy.

“WHAT?!” shouted Buck.

“Ignore him” said Pierce.”You’re doing great.”

“Oh, uh, thanks…” said Andy.

“A little of thisss, a little of thatttt. Pizza’s a lot like music” said May. “When you mix it right, you get something fantastical!”

“Nah, pizza’s like a machine” said Tammy. “When all the pieces combine, it produces something greater than the sum of its parts.”

“Chicken is the best protein to put on a pizza, good sirs and madams” said Troy.

“Nah, you’re way off” said Jay. “Pepperoni’s the way to go.”

“Why not both? Or all proteins?” said Elliot.

“Ooooooh. I could conduct a poll about this. People like these kinds of things” said Annabelle.

“You alright?” asked Cassy. “Avoiding those tomatoes?”

“Yeah” I said. “I’m used to it.”

“How does it feel?” asked Cassy.

I thought about it for a moment. Seeing everyone have a good time. It was delightful “I’m enjoying all of this” I said.

“I mean the pizza without the sauce” said Cassy.

“Oh” I said. “Crisper, I guess.”

“Nah, I’m just messing with you. It’s good to see everyone is such high spirits.”

“Yes” I said.

After all of what we had heard and seen today, this felt cathartic. We were celebrating and making pizza to our heart’s content. We had practically forgotten what Monobird had told us. To live like this, if only for a little while, seems acceptable.

Before we started eating, Monobird took a picture of all of use with our pizzas. He gave us each a copy. We spent the night talking and eating. It was rather fun.

“Whew! I’m stuffed” said Jay.

“That was delicious!” said Annabelle.

“I’ll say” said Buck.

“ _(yawns)_ I’m tired” said Andy.

“Me too. I’m beat” said Pierce.

“Should we call it a night?” asked Duke.

“ _(yawns)_ I guess so…” said May.

“Right then. Your rooms are up the stairs” said Monobird. “They’re right across the hall.” We all marched out of the kitchen sleepily and went across the hall. The stairs we actually across the hall from the gym, but I was too tired to correct that mistake. Once we got up the stairs we saw two different halls. “Alright, boys on the left side, girls on the right. Your rooms are marked so you know who’s is whose.”

“Thanks Monobird” I said. I made my way to my room. I went straight to my bed and fell asleep. _Today was good. I wish everyday could be like this._ Little did we know, the Ultimate Killer began to make his move. His plan was just beginning

In the city, Monokuma stares at the old academy from atop a building. “So, you think you can hide away there?” he says. “Better think again! You don’t know this, but you’ve just given me a home team advantage. Now then, I just need to prepare.”

However, he wasn’t the only one with a plan. In a different abandoned building a gold light shines and moves about on its own. “…I seriously hope I don’t have to use this place” the light says. “I hope the police know what they’re doing. This is just in case anything goes wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where I started back. Going forward, this will be the general tone of the piece in terms of writing. While I'm still using some 5-year old ideas, some of it will be new as well.


	3. Danganronpa: Away Prologue: Beginnings (Part 3)

I woke up the next morning. I felt relaxed. Yesterday was a bit turbulent, to say the least. But today was a new day. I decided to go get breakfast.

When I walked out of my room, I heard a loud sound coming from downstairs. “Wha-what was that?!” I said, panicking. I rushed towards the stairs When I got downstairs, I saw May. She seemed shocked. “May, do you know what happened?!”

“Ummmm, I think so” she said. “But maaaaaaaaybe you should check with one of those two that just passed by.” She pointed towards the dining area.

I went to look and I saw Troy and Jay breathing heavily. Jay had some blood coming out of his head. The wound didn’t seem too serious. “What happened?!” I asked, forcefully.

“This idiot…” Troy said in between breaths “Did something stupid to try and beat me.”

“Hey now…” said Jay “you challenged the Ultimate Track Member to a race. You’re the idiot.”

“I still won, good sir.”

“Wha? No you didn’t!”

“WHY ARE YOU BLEEDING?!” I shouted.

“Am I bleeding?” asked Jay. He checked his head. When he felt the blood, he pulled his fingers out to look at his hand. “It seems I am.”

“Are you alright?!” I asked. “How did this happen?!”

“He ran into the wall, good sir” Troy interjected.

“WHAT?!” I screamed.

“It’s fine” said Jay. “You should see the wall.”

“What does that have to do with-” I said as I turned to the wall. I stopped once I realized what he meant. There was a noticeable imprint on the wall.

“Impressive, right?” said Jay.

“I-I don’t even know what to say” I said. “You’re still bleeding. Do you need help?”

“Never fear” said Monobird, popping out of nowhere.

“Wha?” I choked out.

“I have a first aid kit here” Monobird continued. “Jay, if you will allow me.”

“Oh, uh, sure” said Jay nervously, as he approached Monobird.

Monbird began wiping the blood away. “OK, some of this. A Little of that” he said as he sprayed some disinfectant on him. He then took out a bandage and put it on the wound, which seemed really small for someone having just run into a wall like that. “And that should be it” said Monobird. “If you need any more assistance, just come to the nurse’s office. It’s down the hall passed the stairs, and to the right.”

“Right… Thank you” said Jay. And with that, Monobird just left.

“Alright, what happened?” I asked.

“Those two were having a race” said May, just walking in here.

“A race?” I inquired.

“Yeah, one minute, I was making my way here half asleep, the next thing I know, these two were whizzing on by, like they were going at 78 RPM.”

“RPM?” I inquired again.

“Revolutions per minute” said May, in a more serious tone. “Jeez, don’t you even know that?”

“We’re all not Ultimate DJs, you know” I said back.

“That’s fair” she replied.

“So, how did this race come to be?” I asked. “And why did it end with Jay leaving his imprint in the wall?”

“Wait WHAT?!” screeched May. She looked at the imprint. “DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!!!!”

“Well, good sir,” Troy began, “Jay and I have rooms across from each other. We both woke up at around the same tie and we left our rooms. Our eyes met, and we got to talking.”

“We were talking about our Ultimate talents” Jay continued. “And Troy was going on about how is parkour helped him traverse great distances. I said he probably couldn’t get farther than me. And that’ when we challenged each other to a race down to the dinning hall.”

“I see” I said. I guess it seems natural that they’re both a little competitive. “And how did this race end with Jay smashing into a wall?”

“Well…” Jay said. “We started going off, and it seemed like I was winning.”

“But Parkour Artist doesn’t race conventionally, good sir” said Troy. “And at the stairs, I took a slight lead. You were going to pass, but then I put my sword to good use.”

“It’s true” said Jay. “I wasn’t expecting that. Using your sword to quick turn was amazing. And that’s when I thought ‘I GOTTA KICK THIS INTO HIGH GEAR’ and raced harder than I had done in the race thus far. Troy also attempted to step it up, but in the end I won. However, I was running so fast, that I just didn’t stop in time to avoid hitting the wall.”

“No you didn’t, good sir” argued Troy. “Even though you went full tilt and almost caught up with me, you still fell short, and hit yourself on the wall for no reason.”

Jay seemed confused. “No I didn’t. I came from behind to claim victory!”

“It was a tie” said Rachel, emerging from the kitchen.

“What?!” said Jay.

“Like I said, it was a tie.”

“You were probably just confused, good madame” said Troy.

“Nope” said Sophie following behind. “If Rachel sad it was a tie, it was a tie.”

“What makes you so sure?” I asked.

“Because she has super seeing” said Sophie, mysteriously.

“I just have a good attention to detail” Rachel interjected.

“I see” I said. “Does that help you, um, do historian things?”

“I wouldn’t put it like that, but yes. It helps” said Rachel.

“So, it was a tie then” said Jay.”Hey Troy, same time tomorrow then?”

“No way, good sir!” Troy shouted. “Not if you keep banging yourself on the wall like that. What if you get hurt even more?”

“Nah, I’ll be fine” Jay said. “I’m surprisingly tough. Years of failing and getting back up have toughened my body up. You could probably run a blade across my hand and no blood will be drawn.”

“I’d like to say that’s impossible, but I’ve witnessed otherwise” I said. “You left a mark on the wall and all you have is a minor scrape. What kind of track training did you do?”

“Just the regular kind” said Jay. “I kept wiping out super hard though. One I got better, my bones, muscles, and skin toughened up so much that I can withstand a lot of pressure. And though that persistence, I became the Ultimate Track Member.”

“Impressive” I said. “Well, now that all that is sorted, I should probably get something to eat.”

“Same” said Jay.

“I’m super hungry” said May.

“I shall join you in eating, good sirs and madams” said Troy.

The four of us went into the kitchen to prepare a meal. Rachel and Sophie sat down to eat. The four of us in the kitchen prepared our own meals. Once we were done, we each headed out and sat down close to Sophie and Rachel.

While we were eating, I decided to drum up some conversation. “So Sophie. It seems like you and Rachel know each other, correct?”

“Eh? How’d you know?” asked Sophie.

“Well, you seemed to know about her attention to detail. I kind of figured you at least knew her before coming here.”

“You seem to have a good attention to detail too” said Rachel. “You could give me a run for my money as Ultimate Historian.”

“Maybe that’s your talent” said Sophie. “Dueling Ultimate Historians.”

“I don’t think that’s the case” I said. “One of us wouldn’t be here if that was the case. Beside, I’m only alright at history. I know the bigger figures, but I don’t know if I could give you specifics.”

“That’s completely understandable” said Rachel. “I have a knack for history, and understanding the past.”

Sophie interjected “Rachel’s the reason the entire country got new history textbooks.

“Really?!” I asked.

“…Yes” said Rachel. “The old books were so full of inaccuracies that I had to complain. They wanted me to find evidence that contradicts them. So I did.”

“She spent weeks in the library cross-referencing everything in the book to find them all.”

“And when I presented them all, they had no choice but to change everything.”

“I see” I said. “That’s impressive.”

“Oh, that’s nothing” said Rachel. “Sophie’s talent is on a whole ‘nother level.”

“Um…I guess it is…” said Sophie, nervously.

“Really?” I asked. “How so?”

“She saved my life with it” Rachel said.

“Oh, anyone could have done that” said Sophie, trying to downplay her Luck. “It just happened to be me.”

“That might be true,” Rachel began, “but I’m glad it was you in the end.”

“Of course. Anything for a friend” said Sophie.

“She save your life?” I inquired. “Could you tell me about that?”

Rachel just sat there for a moment. “I’d rather not talk about it” she said sternly. “Besides, her luck has done more impressive things than that.”

“St-stop. You’re embarrassing me” said Sophie, pulling her hood over her head.

“Maybe we can all get through this on Sophie’s luck” I said. “If we’re all friends with Sophie.”

“See, that’s also why I don’t think you’re an Ultimate Historian” said Rachel. “My attention is on the past. Yours is here and now.”

“I guess” I said.

We finished eating. We went to put our dishes away. I guess I could talk to everyone else. I should probably explore the building while I’m at it. Ah! Which reminds me “Hey, where is everyone else?” I wondered.

“They all woke up earlier than us” said Rachel. “They left the dining area just as Sophie and I walked in.”

“Thank you” I said. I guess that leaves me no choice. I stayed in the dining area for a while with everyone here. I made my way over to Troy first. I had something on my mind. “Hey Troy,” I said nervously, “Why do you keep saying ‘good sir’ or ‘good madame’ to people?”

“Ah! I see you’re interested in parkour!” he shouted.

_That’s not what I asked at all._ “What does that have to do with parkour?”

“Good sir…” he said aghast. “Do you not know what it means to parkour?”

“I don’t really…” I replied.

“I see… Well, no problem, good sir” he said. “Parkour is about being free. You do not attempt it unless you are truly yourself.”

“So, what does that mean in your context?” I said.

“I see you have a good eye.”

_He seems to be one step ahead of me at all times. Then again, I guess that’s natural for a parkour artist to keep that kind of pace._

“You are right. Every parkour artist is different. I wanted to start doing parkour to be a guardian for all humanity. A knight in shining armor.”

_I guess that would explain the sword._ “So, you started parkour to be a guardian for humanity.”

Troy looked down. “Not really… Which I why I failed my first time.”

“Oh?”

“When I started I was just trying to get the other kids to like me. I tried a trick, and almost landed on my head. Luckily, my master, who wasn’t my master at the time, saw this, and saved me.”

“Is your master like you at all?”

“Nope” said Troy. “In fact, he’s the complete opposite. He’s rude, belligerent, and hates the world. But he told me parkour is about being free. Without the weights of what other people think of you, you are free. Gliding on air as if it were cement. Because of that, I was free to become the hero I always wanted to be. And as a sign of respect to everyone I serve, which is all of humanity except the villains, I regard them as ‘good.’”

_That’s kind of a roundabout answer, but I guess a direct approach would have been a tad more boring coming from a guy like him._ “That seems fun” I say.

“It is, good sir” Troy says.

I make my way to May “So, um, what is it like to be an Ultimate DJ?” I ask. The question I really want to ask is kind of risky, especially since she seems a tad wild.

“It RULEZ!” she started. “Kind of… God, I’m just so frustrated.”

“Why are you frustrated?” I asked.

“It’s good when I get to do it, but that’s not very often.”

“Why is that?”

“Most people don’t hire me as a DJ. Mainly because they just want me to play the classic party songs, no matter the occasion. When in reality, every party is different. Each situation, and each person is a different song. I can sense that.”

“Huh” I said to myself.

“Because everything is so different, I play whatever songs fit the mood. But nobody wants it. At least, not right away. I get cut off when I do what’s right for the party a lot of the time before it really comes alive.”

“That must suck” I said.

“It does” she quickly replied. “But when I’m trusted as a DJ, and play what I want, that’s when everything comes alive. Everyone is in a euphoric state, and the whole world is at peace. And when that happens, I can’t help but let out a wild ‘YAAAAAAA-HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!’”

“You been kind of in that mood since we got here.”

“Yeah… I’m usually like that when I’m happy. But in situations like this it’s hard to be happy. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN I DON’T TRY!”

I was inspired by her positive attitude. “Well then, here’s something to be happy for. You’ve taught me a lot.”

“I HAVE?!”

“Yes. Before this conversation, I was wondering ‘how can anyone be an Ultimate DJ if it just meant playing songs for people?’ But it doesn’t mean that. It means creating an energy around something. And you have that in spades.”

She looked at me, blushing. “Th-thank you” she said.

I may have gone a little overboard, but hearing her talking like that kind of pushed me in that direction. Anyway, I left the dining area. I decided to look around a bit. The front hall only had the front door. The hallway down had the dining area on the right and bathrooms on the left at the front, the gym at the middle on the right, with stairs on the left side, and an art room on the right at the end, and the nurse’s office on the left. Or at least at the end as far as I could go. For there was a big barricade just beyond the art room and the nurse’s office. “What is this?!” I asked.

“Forgive me” said Monobird, popping up again. “But we recently acquired this building. We haven’t finished renovating it yet. So, for the time being, this is as far as you all can go. And for the record, the only rooms available to you on the second floor are your personal rooms.”

“I see. Thank you” I said. “I have a few other questions.”

“Go on.”

“You don’t have cameras installed, do you?”

“No. I am to watch you on my own. I trust that everyone will get along well enough so that we don’t need cameras.”

“How secure is this location?”

“It is very secure. No one but I has the clearance to get in or out. Anyone else will be detained by an automatic trap”

_So that means we can’t escape on our own._ “Finally, how long do we need to stay here?”

“Until we catch the Ultimate Killer, or they get bored. Whichever comes first.”

“Wait, how is that second one determined?”

“From time to time, the Ultimate Killer will get bored with a target if the police protect them long enough. He will send us a notice of that.”

“I see… Thanks Monobird, for doing this.”

“No problem” he said, disappearing as mysteriously as he entered.

I made my way to the gym. I saw Duke, Buck, Elliot, and Annabelle in there. Buck and Elliot were shooting hoops, and Duke and Annabelle were watching. I decided to approach Duke first.

“Wow, look at them go” he said. “They’re doing so well. It’s like chemistry in motion.”

“I think you mean ‘poetry in motion’” I said.

“No, I mean chemistry” Duke objected. “Chemistry moves. Poetry is just words on a page. It doesn’t move. Not unless you use chemistry.”

“I think the phrase means that their movement is so good that you could describe in in a poem.”

“Oh. Oh that makes more sense” said Hunter. “However, I could describe it with chemistry.”

“You are the Ultimate Chemist after all.”

“Thank you.”

“So, how does someone like you become a chemist, exactly?”

“Well, I’ll tell you. One time, I was goofing off with some chemicals, and it blew up in my face. I was dumb. I’ll admit that. When I had awoke, I couldn’t see. The doctors gave me these glasses, so I could see. When I could see, I could see things I couldn’t before. That no one could have before. I saw a patient next to me almost die because of a medicine mix-up. I buzzed a nurse. They stop the drug. His life was spared.”

“That is a tremendous story” I said. “And one I wouldn’t believe if I hadn’t talked to some other people here who had equally unbelievable stories.”

“I like you, Justin.”

_That came out of nowhere._ “What makes you say that?”

“Because you said you wouldn’t believe it, but now you do. That’s chemistry. Change. When something interacts with something else, change happens. You can accept it, or reject it. Rejecting it only makes things worse. When you accept change, you become a better person. Or a chemical compound. Either way, it’s fine by me.”

Duke said some confusing stuff, but his heart is in the right place. I then turned to Annabelle. “So, um, what’s it like being a news reporter?”

“Wow” said Annabelle, in shock. “I’m not used to getting asked questions. Well, to answer, I guess I’ve always had a knack for asking questions. And when I get those answer, I just had a knack to tell others. I was a natural fit on my old school’s news paper. Was that the answer you expected?”

“I-I’m not sure” I responded. “What kind of stories did you report on at your news paper?”

She seemed in shock again. “Well… Just the usual stuff, I guess. Community events. School programs. A torrid affair with the principal and a teacher. Stuff in the media.”

“Wait, back up. An affair?”

“Yeah. The principal was having an affair with a teacher.”

“That doesn’t seem ‘usual.’”

“Trust me, it is. Did you know, 88% of schools polled has at least one inter-staff relationship?”

“I did not.”

“It’s more common than you think. Tell me, how does that make you feel?”

“Um, very confused, I guess. I had no idea that relationships between teachers were that rampant.”

“Staff” she said forcefully.

“What’s the difference?” I asked.

“…Oh, you got me again.”

_Was this a contest?_

“Staff means anyone hired to work at the school. This includes teacher, but it also includes people like cafeteria people, bus drivers, and janitors. I might be a bit pushy when it comes to reporting, but I will not tolerate a single lie when reporting a story.”

“I’m not very tolerant of lies myself, so thank you for correcting me.”

She looked surprised again. She then quickly smiled “I see, a fellow truth seeker. Well then, seek on. Ask as many questions as you like.”

“Are you bothered by other people asking you questions?”

“Well, kind of. When I don’t know their intent, I get a little nervous. I’m so used to reporting the news accurately, it’s hard for me to lie. Which makes it hard for me to trust people sometimes. But now, I know I can trust you.”

“Glad to hear. And I feel the same.”

Just then a buzzer sounded. Buck and Elliot were breathing heavily. “You know, if this were an actual contest, you’d have lost buddy” Elliot said, smirking.

“Even so, you still managed to keep up” Buck retorted.

Elliot breathed deeply, composed herself, and asked “Wanna go again?”

“Are you kidding?!” Buck responded. “I need to rest after that. Even though I still won, you put me through the fuckin’ ringer.”

“Alright” said Elliot, disappointedly. “What about you Justin? Wanna take me on?”

“Huh?” I said.

“Come on. It’ll be fun.”

“I think I’ll pass. There’s no way I could keep up with you. I’d probably pass out before the buzzer sounded.”

“If you’re THAT worried, I guess I could understand” Elliot said even more disappointedly.

“Still, it seems like you have a lot of energy” I said, trying to pick her back up. “Where do you get it?”

“Huh?” she said, confused. “I never thought of it before. I just have always had this much energy. I was a bit of a wild child growing up”

“I see… So, does that help you win contests?”

“Hmmmm. I think so. My energy is focused during those contests that I just win out of sheer force.”

“Why contests though? Surely, you could have focused on something more specific. Contests cover a broad spectrum of feats.”

“Well, when I first started out, I was focused on the prize I’d get, but now it’s just out of habit.”

“You mean the prize the contest gave away?”

“No, silly. The prize my parents would give me” she said, matter of factly. “You see, my dad works at a candy factory. And every day for a long time, he would bring home some samples. I would eat them all, and he’d bring home more samples.”

_Well, I can kind of see where she gets the energy from._

“One day when I was going to get some samples, my dad said he didn’t have any. He didn’t want me to be unhealthy anymore. I begged him and finally, he caved. He said he would give me more samples if I were to win the child’s beauty pageant that my mom wanted me to enter. So, I did.”

_She says that like it’s easy._

“I didn’t really like girly stuff too much. But I would have done anything for those samples.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t raid the candy stocks in the kitchen.”

“Weren’t you listening? That’s all in the past now. I just keep winning now out of habit. But, if you had candy, I wouldn’t mind a nibble.”

_I think she’d take more than a nibble._ Anway, Buck seems a bit more rested up now. I’m going to see what’s up with him. “Hey Buck. You played well out there.”

“You saw all of it?” he said, seemingly mad.

“I only saw part of it. But it was really good.”

“Thanks. It’s not the best I could do.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I really didn’t expect her to keep that kind of pace. Once I got a handle on it, it was fuckin’ easy though.”

“Um, you keep swearing. Is there a reason for that?”

“It’s part of my fucking training.”

_I’m almost afraid to ask._ “How? How is that training?”

“If you hold on for a damn second, I’ll explain. It’s about reaction timing.”

“Reaction timing?”

“Yeah. Here’s the deal. When I was young my parents would punish me for swearing so much. So I kept learning how to catch it before I would say anything. However, I would just keep getting faster on my own. So I just sped up my reactions to keep myself from swearing. I can maintain that kind of reaction speed in almost everything I do. And since I was on the basketball team, it just kind of flowed into that as well. So now what I do is, I let myself swear more so I can learn to catch it faster. But only among friends. My parents and my little sister don’t get to hear the brunt of it.”

“Well, that is a unique training style.”

“You’re damn right.”

“I wonder if you’re not more adept to the title of Ultimate Swearer.”

“I doubt Hope’s Peak would have such a shitty title.”

“I guess you’re right.”

I made my way out of the gym. I then took a look in the art room. Roman, Maria, Pierce, Andy, and Tammy were all in here doing different things.

Roman spotted me. “Oh hey! Justin! Over here!” I made my way over to his work space. He was making a statue of Maria. “I just wanted to apologize for earlier” he said, sheepishly.

“It’s fine” I said, nervously.

“It’s just *sigh* Maria means everything to me. Before I met here I was nothing. I was just this moody little kid who hated everything.”

“That seems hard to imagine.”

“It’s true. *sigh* My dad is an art critic. Whenever I found something to like, he would always just criticize it. I grew more and more bitter. One day, he took me to a gallery of up and coming artists, and Maria happened to be there. When I saw her tapestries, and her, something clicked in my head that didn’t before. For the first time ever, I told my dad off.”

“He didn’t like it?”

“Well, he had some problems with it. I corrected him on all of them though.”

“I see…”

“Maria came up and thanked me. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, and we exchanged numbers. I was so inspired by her beauty that I went to an art store, bought some clay, and made a sculpture of her that night. I called her the next morning to show it off. She seemed impressed by it. So much so she called some of her contacts in the art world to get me to show it to other people. When I did, they were just as impressed.”

“Wait, you made a stunning sculpture on your first attempt?”

“I guess. It’s not that hard when you have what I have.”

“And that is?”

“Passion. Everything I do is out of passion.”

“Are you telling the story of how we met again?” Maria said, coming out of nowhere.

“AH!” Roman shouted. “Ya got me.”

“It’s a nice story” I said.

“Thanks” she said.

“Well, I gotta get back to my sculpting” Roman said. He continued to sculpt Maria.

“You know, Roman means a lot to me too” Maria said.

“I’d imagine as much” I said.

“Before he came along, no one said such nice things about my tapestries. It was nice to hear such wonderful things about my art. It’s because of that, I got even better, and became the Ultimate Tapestry Artist. I had to, if I wanted to keep up with Roman.”

“Keep up?”

“Yeah. To be honest, I’m a little jealous of his natural talent But his drive is admirable. He may come off a little strong sometimes, but it’s that passion of his that I like about him.”

“So, what about you?”

“Pardon?”

“Why did you get into tapestry?”

“Because tapestries tell stories.”

“Doesn’t all art tell a story?”  
“…I guess. But I really like the stories tapestries tell. They feel fantastical, and yet real. The meaning behind each one is different… To be completely honest, I dabble in all sorts of art. But Roman first complimented my tapestries. He saw such beautiful things in it that when I realized it, I knew I just had to continue. I try to put meaning into all my work, and it seems Roman appreciates that.”

I get the relationship now. He gives her passion, and she gives him meaning. It’s symbiotic. “Let me just say, you make a lovely couple.”

“Aw, thanks” she said. “Well, I should get back to what I was working on now.”

She turned back to her loom. I then noticed that Tammy was at a workbench. She crumpled up something she was working on. She seemed frustrated. I cautiously approached her. “Um, are you alright?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine” she responded. “I just can’t get a handle on how to disable Monobird.”

“Um… should you be doing that?” I asked. “He does seem to want to protect us.”

“Yeah, but I don’t trust the police. That could just be a cover to keep us here to investigate us and arrest us.”

“Why don’t you trust the police?”

“Because, they only go after who’s convenient for them. I swear, if they actually did there jobs, there would be less innocent people in jail.”

_I feel a sense of darkness in her words._ “I guess that’s a fair criticism” I began, “but it feels like there’s something more to it than that.” She looked pale. “Am I right?”

“OK, FINE!” she shouted at me. “One of those innocent people…” she looked like she was on the verge of tears. “…is my father.”

“What?!” I said. I wasn’t prepared to hear something like that.

“He didn’t do anything! And yet, he’s in prison. So, yeah, I don’t trust cops for that reason. All I trust is my skill as a technician.”

“Do you trust us?” I asked. I’m not sure what kind of answer I’d get.

“Hmmm…” she began pondering the question. “I don’t know. We just got here after all. I guess I trust some of you.”

_Well, I guess that’s as reassuring as I can get from her._ “Am I included on that list?”

“Yeah. Because when you heard that I didn’t trust cops, you didn’t try to defend them. You understood me. That’s important to me. You don’t need to agree with me, but know where I’m coming from is important.”

“Well, thank you.”

“No problem.”

I then looked around. I saw Pierce and Andy working on paintings. I walked over to see how they were doing. “Um, so how is everything going?” I asked.

“GAH!!!!” said Andy “I can’t do it!”

I may have picked a bad time to interject.

“Hey, no, you’re doing fine” said Pierce in a calming voice.

“I don’t know…” said Andy.

“Maybe you just need a break, if you’re that stressed out” I said.

“Huh?” said Andy, looking at me. “GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! When did you get here?!”

“Just now” Pierce said.

“OK. OK” said Andy.

“Pardon me for saying this” I began, “but you seem really high strung.”

“Yeah” said Andy. “I know.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“I don’t think there’s much to talk about” he said. “I’ve just always been high strung in more social situations. The only time I’m calm in front of people is during trivia nights.”

“Speaking of, why are you so good at trivia? It seems like an odd talent to have.”

“Yes, um, well, the thing is I was looking for a different talent.”

“Looking? For which one.”

“I didn’t know” he said. “I was looking for something that caught my interest. So, I was looking up all these other things to see how well I could do them. I couldn’t find one that I could do safely. Eventually though, I looked up so much information that I could just recall it whenever. And thus, my skill in trivia just manifested.”

“Wow. That is an interesting story.”

“You don’t believe it, do you?”

“Trust me I do. It’s not the craziest thing I’ve heard today.”

Andy gave a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Whenever I tell people that, they usually say they don’t believe me.”

“Looks like you got another friend” said Pierce.

“Speaking of,” I said, turning my attention to Pierce. “Why are you spending so much time with Andy?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“It’s just, since we’ve gotten here, you two have become almost inseparable. Why is that?”

“I guess we just hit it off.” I somewhat doubt his answer. “What, you don’t believe me?”

“I just think it’s a little odd that a weapons expert would hang out with a bundle of nerves like Andy. No offence.”

“None taken” said Andy.

“You’re referring to my Ultimate title?” Pierce asked. “Despite what you may think, I don’t use my weapons often. I just know about them.”

“I see” I said.

“Pierce is actually very kind” said Andy. “He helps calm me down whenever I get too stressed out. Although, given our current situation, I can’t help but feel more stressed out than usual.”

“I know what you mean” I said. “So, how do you know a lot about weapons?”

“I saw some weapons in action, and I got curious about them” Pierce said. “So I began looking into more and more weapons, and pretty soon, I became an expert.”

“Huh” I said.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Well, it sounds a lot like the story Andy told me about trivia.”

“I guess it does. Well, it doesn’t matter, because that’s the truth.”

“I guess…” I said.

“Listen, I’m not going to hurt anyone, OK?” said Pierce. “So, can you drop your suspicions of me already?”

“WAIT! I never said you’d harm anyone. I believe you wouldn’t. It’s just, you seem strange to me.”

“Isn’t it natural for an Ultimate to be a bit unnatural?”

“Yeah, but you feel different. The truth is, like Andy, I feel safe around you for some odd reason.”

“Probably because I’m a safe guy.”

“I feel like there’s a bit more to it than that” I said.

“You should probably just relax.”

“OK” said. I began to relax a little. However, I realized there’s one other person I need to talk to.

“If you’re looking for Cassy, she’s in her room” Pierce said.

I immediately unrelaxed. How did he know what I was thinking? Furthermore, how did he get me to relax in the first place? “Just what kind of person are you?” I asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

I walked out of the art room, a tad more confused. I trust Pierce, but at the same time, he seems odd. I went upstairs. I went to the other side of the hall. Luckily, all the rooms were marked, so I knew which one was Cassy’s. Hers was the furthest down on the right. I went up to it, and gave it a knock.

“Hold on” she said. It took her a few seconds, but she answered the door. “What do you wan-” she said with her eyes closed for a second. When she opened her eyes and saw me, she stopped in her tracks. “Oh, I didn’t expect to see you here. Come in.”

“Um, thanks” I said. I walked into her room. I noticed that the design was slightly different from the room I got. I wonder if it’s because I’m a guy and she’s a girl. Some features are the same. The bed, the desk, the nightstand with a phone on it. There was also a bathroom and a closet. I guess those are all standards for a room here in this renovated high school.

That wasn’t all I noticed though. Cassy and a corkboard chart started, but it looks barren. “What’s with the corkboard?” I asked.

“I’m trying to figure out who the Ultimate Killer is, and why we’re being targeted” she responded. “Don’t you want to know that too?”

“Sure, I guess” I said. “But I don’t think there’s much we can do from in here.”

“But there is stuff we can do. And I intend to do all that stuff.”

_I’m beginning to fear that I wasn’t brought in here to exchange pleasantries._

“So tell me, what are you hiding?”

“Huh?”

“It’s just, your talent is unknown. That seems suspicious to me. How do I know you’re not the Ultimate Killer disguising himself as a student here?”

“Well, if you want, I still have my invitation to Hope’s Peak. Even that says I’m the Ultimate ???.” I take my invitation out of my pocket and give it to Cassy.

She looks it over. “Alright, it checks out” she said, dejected. “It’s just so frustrating that I can’t do anything to help. I’m the Ultimate Detective. I should be doing more to help out.”

“Hey, hey, it’s OK” I said. “Our top priority is being safe. Right now, instead of Ultimates, we’re targets.”

“I know. It’s just, I love doing cases” she said, euphorically. “When I’m in the middle of a case, I feel so alive. Nothing compares to the feeling of clearing a case. But, yes, I suppose it’s important to keep safe.”

“Not just that” I said. “I think it’s also important to get to know everyone.”

“Right. I guess I have been cooped up here all day. I could stand to get out.”

We both started to leave her room. “By the way, who did you think I was?”

“Pierce.”

_Somehow, I am not surprised._ We left her room and started going downstairs.

“There’s something else I wanted to ask you” Cassy said, as we were heading downstairs.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“You were the last to arrive. Monobird waited for everyone else so that he could carry us in a basket. He didn’t want to be there when school started, so he said he’d circled back for you. Why were you late?”

_So, I was the only one who “enjoyed” being carried by Monobird himself._ “My grandpa’s funeral was yesterday. I’m still trying to get over it.”

“Oh. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.”

We went downstairs. We spent the next few hours hanging out with everyone. We had a good time. Everyone became a little closer. Eventually, we ate dinner as a group again. This time we each had different things.

After dinner, I was tired again. “I’m tired” I announced to everyone. “I think I might turn in. How’s everyone else doing?”

“I’m fine” said Elliot.

“I’m tired too” said May.

“I could get in a few more work outs, good sir” said Troy.

“Not me” said Buck. “Elliot worked me to the bone today.”

“Hey, you were the one who said they felt like they could go again” Elliot retorted.

“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting that much of a boost in skill” Buck said. “Honestly, you’re better than some professionals I’ve played.”

“You think so?” said Elliot, with a smile on her face.

“Anyway, it seems like some of us are tired, and some of us aren’t” I said. “It doesn’t matter, since technically we’re independent and can do what we want. And what I want to do is go to sleep.” I went upstairs and to my room.

For the second night in a row, I feel lucky to be alive. A killer is after us, but despite that, everyone seems to be in good spirits. In a situation like this, seeing everyone like that, getting to know who they are, it just brings joy into my hearts.

That joy was short-lived, because later that night…

A knock is heard on the door of the abandoned building. Monobird finds this confusing, as the trap he set up should have gone off before a knock could have been made. He goes to check the outside At first he sees all of his traps destroyed.

He then hears a voice coming from below. “Hello” he says. Monobird looks down and sees Monokuma Monobird goes into attack Monokuma, but Monokuma dashes backwards, and when Monobird’s talon lands where monokuma was, Monokuma presses a button. A cage pops out from the ground and captures Monobird. “Well now, time to get to work” Monokuma says.

“What are you planning to do?!” Monobird screamed out.

“Oh, you’ll seeeeeeeee” said Monokuma, gleefully.


	4. Danganronpa: Away Prologue: Beginnings (Part 4)

That night I had a nightmare. I was young. I was being dragged away by someone. I was begging them not to do it. Meanwhile facing me was a smile. I could only see the smile. It was a grim smile. It was the kind of smile that makes you want to feel nothing but despair.

  
I woke up in a sweat. I was afraid. It was a fear I haven’t felt in a long time. “What was the dream about?” I wondered to myself. “I know it, but I can’t remember it.” It seemed earlier than I usually wake up. “I should get back to sleep.”

  
Just then, an alert came on over the speaker system. *ding dong* *bing bong* “Attention everyone: Starting today all of you under this roof will be under new management. Please report to the gym right away.”

  
_What was that? No matter. Whatever it was, I should go and see what’s going on._ I got up, put on some clothes, and walked out. I met a sea of confused faces when I did.

“What’s going on, good sir?” Troy asked.

“I don’t know, but we can’t find out unless we go to the gym” said Jay.

“I don’t like it” said Duke.

“Well, whatever we do, we should do it soon” I said. “So let’s go.”

“OK” said Pierce.

Our confusion only grew as we met the girls at the stairs. “Alright, WHAT’S GOIN’ ON?!” asked May.

“DON’T ASK ME!” Andy replied.

“We won’t get answers standing around like this” Cassy said. “So let’s move.”

We all descended the stairs and walked into the gym, and we shocked by what we saw. Monobird was in a cage. Not only that, a mini stage was set up.

“Monobird, what happened?” asked Sophie.

“I’m what happened” said a voice mysteriously coming out of nowhere. Suddenly, a bear, whose design resembled Monobird, but instead of a green half it was black, descended from the ceiling onto the makeshift stage. “I’m Monokuma! Your new guardian.”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” screamed Andy.

“Cut the bullshit, what’s going on?!” said Buck.

“Straight to the point, eh?” Monokuma retorted. “Very well. If you really want to know, I am the Ultimate Killer!” When Monokuma said that, Troy drew his sword and dashed toward Monokuma aiming to strike him, but Monokuma jumped out of the way into the rafters. “That was a close one.”

“Get down here and fight like a man, foul villain!” called out Troy.

“Before I do, maybe you should have a look around first” Monokuma said. Well all did as he said, and we noticed cameras with guns attached to them.

“What is the meaning of this, foul villain?” Troy asked.

“He he he” Monokuma chuckled. “If you were to attack me, those guns would go off and kill you.”

“Death is a price I’m willing to pay to stop you, foul villain!”

“That may be true,” Monokuma began, “but technically, I’m not actually here.”

“What’s the supposed to mean?” asked Rachel.

“See, ‘Momokuma’ is just a tool in the Ultimate Killer’s arsenal” Monokuma said. “So, even if you stop Monokuma, you won’t stop the Ultimate Killer.”

“So, that isn’t a costume?” Cassy asked.

“Well, technically, no” Monokuma replied. “I’m a robot with an AI. I’m really more of a mask for the Ultimate Killer.”

“Well, since we know you’re the Ultimate Killer,” I started, “and you want us dead anyway, it shouldn’t matter if that death is at the hand of ‘Monokuma’ or those guns. So, why shouldn’t we give it everything we got to stop ‘Monokuma?’”

“Good question!” Monokuma said, condescendingly. “I’ll give you three reason. First, I, Monokuma, am extremely hard to kill. Second, even if you somehow managed to do so, and I imagine that if you pooled all your strength together you might be able to, the Ultimate Killer can just send over a new Monokuma. And finally, I, Monokuma, will not kill any of you!”

“WHAT?!” cried Monobird from his cage. “But you said you’d make sure every one of them was dead.”

“Indeed I did” Monokuma said. “But I never said that I’d do it myself.”

A wave of fear hovered over us. “What are you intending to do then?” Cassy asked.

“Why, it’s very simple” Monokuma said. “I’m going to make you kill each other!” Everyone froze. “Why is everyone so quiet now? You were all talkative before.”

“Just how do you plan on getting us to kill each other?” Duke asked.

“Oh, that?” Monokuma laughed. “That’s easy. I’ve made some modifications to this building, and now you can’t leave.”

“But we can’t stay here! This is bear country!” called out Duke.

“We couldn’t before. What makes this different?” I asked.

“Anyone caught trying to enter or leave will be killed” said Monokuma. “Honestly, these are some easy questions.”

“Hold on, I’ll call for help” Sophie said, nervously reaching into her pocket. “Wh-where is it?”

“Looking for this?” Monokuma said, gleefully holding up a phone.

“That’s my phone. Why do you have my phone?!” Sophie asked.

“I have all your phones” said Monokuma. He then took out all of our phones, lined them up, and walked all over them crushing them.

“What was that for?” asked Elliot.

“You don’t need to contact the outside anymore” said Monokuma. “Besides, anyone you call can’t get in anyway. They’ll either be shot or blown up if they try entering the doors!”

“What does the fucking door situation have to do with us killing each other?” asked Buck.

“Ah yes, the heart of the matter” said Monokuma. “Well, there is one way I’ll let you go. And that is if you kill someone and get away with it!”

“Wait, ‘get away with it’?” asked Cassy.

“That’s right!” said Monokuma, eagerly. “Starting today, you will all be involved in the game of mutual killing.” A sudden chill came over us. “Now, allow me to explain the rules. Rule 1: You can only escape this building if you successfully kill someone and get away with it. Rule 2: Any form of murder is allowed, provided you can perform it in this building. Rule 3: When three or more people discover a body a chime will sound to alert everyone that a murder has taken place. Rule 4: Once a body has been discovered, there will be a short investigation conducted by all of you. Rule 5: When the investigation is over, you will all be summoned to the basement where we will conduct a class trial. Rule 6: During the class trial, everyone will present their ideas about what happened. Rule 7: If during the class trial you all guess correctly as to who the killer is, then only the killer will be punished. But if the killer gets away with their crime, then everyone else will be punished. Rule 8: Any attempt to escape the killing game will result in punishment. Rule 9: Attacking Monokuma will result in punishment. Rule 10: Monokuma will not kill any student participating in the killing game. Rule 11: Anyone caught attempting to free Monobird will be punished. Rule END: Monokuma has the authority to add more rules whenever he feels like it.”

“So, when you say punishment…?” Cassy began.

“That’s right, baby! I’m talking about DEATH!” Monokuma squealed.

“I see” said Buck. “And what if we ‘conveniently’ forget one of these rules?”

“That won’t happen, because..” Monokuma said, taking something out of his pocket…I guess. “Dun du du da! I have Monopads for each and everyone of you! In here all of the rules are written. As well as detailed student profiles of you all. As well some some other things.” Monokuma began passing around these Monopads to each of us. “Now don’t go exchanging them. Even if they seem the same, the Monopads I gave you will only work for you. Now, LET THE KILLING GAME COMMENCE!” Monokuma shouted that as he mysteriously disappeared.

“MONOBIRD! How could you let this happen?!” May cried out.

“I didn’t let it it happen!” Monobird said. “He just got the better of me. I could have taken him out, but now I’m stuck in this cage. And I can’t get out. If I try I’ll short circuit. I figure I’d rather keep an eye on things here than attempt to break free.”

“Well that’s great!” shouted Buck. “We’re stuck in this fucking school and made to kill each other!”

“It’ll be fine” said Elliot. “All we have to do is not kill each other.”

“Yeah, but what if no one kills each other and we just starve because no food can get here?” Jay asked.

“That won’t happen. Monokuma is allowing us to use our backchannels to get you necessities” Monobird said. “But if any of you try to escape using them you will be killed, along with the people bringing you things.”

_He’s still allowing food and stuff in? That doesn’t sit right with me. I need to check that out._

“So, like Elliot said, all we have to do in not kill each other, good sirs and madams” Troy said. “That should be simple enough.”

“Yeah” said Sophie. “Let’s not worry about this for now, and just live like we have been living.”

“I agree” said Rachel.

Everyone began to disperse and do their own thing. I had too many questions on my mind to just try and shrug this off.

I’ll start with Monobird. “Hey Monobird…” I said, casually.

“Yes?”

“Which of you came first?”

“…You are of course referring to our similarities in appearance. Monokuma actually came first. We had seen that the Ultimate Killer had used it in a previous killing of theirs. When we entered the building everyone was dead already. We tried taking him, but it resulted in most of us going to the hospital for a prolonged period of time. So, we built Monobird to be stronger than Monokuma, just in case something like this happened. Not that it did much good.”

“And everyone in that building was killed by Monokuma himself?”

“Monokuma said as much when we raided the building. He even showed us how he did it. Everything seemed consistent.”

“I see. Do you know why those people were being targeted?”

“Sadly, we do not. There’s some speculation that it had to do with a missing persons case a few months before the incident, but we don’t know for sure.”

“Can you tell me about that?”

“…I will tell you as much as I’m allowed to tell you. The setting for both the missing persons case and the first Monokuma incident was an office building. One day, the office’s boss ends up missing. A temporary person was sent in to continue while we conducted our investigation. The temporary went out on an errand, and that’s when Monokuma entered. He locked the remaining employees in the building. We don’t know what happened in there, but when we got there, we broke down the door and saw that everyone died.”

“So, Monokuma didn’t make the preparations he made this time?”

“I guess so. Anyway, a few days after the massacre, the missing boss came back and reversed a decision that he had made, telling the public that the Ultimate Killer kidnapped him and killed everyone of his employees to force him to do this.”

“What was the decision?”

“It was about giving money to Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“I see…”

“After that, we looked into both the temporary boss, as well as any vocal opponents of Hope’s Peak. However, we could not find a shred of evidence for them, and some of them have really good alibis.”

“Don’t you think it’s strange though?”

“What is?”

“That the Ultimate Killer doesn’t seem to like Hope’s Peak? Between that, and forcing us 16 students of Hope’s Peak through this killing game, it seems that the Ultimate Killer hates Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“Why is that weird?”

“Because the Ultimate Killer says that they graduated from Hope’s Peak. Furthermore, you told us that they were on the staff at Hope’s Peak.”

Monobird was in shock. “I-I have to go. I need to report this to my commander right away!”

“WAIT!”

*click*

_It seems Monobird shut off. No matter, I have questions I need to ask other people Starting with the obvious person._ I looked around for Pierce, and sure enough, I found him in the art room again with Andy. “Pierce, can I talk to you for a second?”

Pierce looks at me for a moment. “Sure. Hey, I’m going to be out for a bit, are you good on your own?”

“Mmmmmm, I think so” said Andy.

“Great, I’ll see you later” Pierce said. We walked into the hall. “I’m guessing you think that I’m the Ultimate Killer.”

_How does he know what I’m thinking?_ “Yes” I said dryly. “Or at least related to them in some way.”

“Well, I get where you’re coming from. I’m the weird guy, who can sense what other people are feeling. But rest assured, I am not the Ultimate Killer, nor am I related to them.”

“Somehow, I find that hard to believe.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that. Well, since we’re in this situation already, I might as well be open about it. I knew this was coming.”

“Wha-? How?!”

“Do you remember the dinner we attended for the Hope’s Peak open house?”

“I do.”

“Well, I sensed a dark presence then. I didn’t know what it was, but it was evil.”

“Tha-That’s different than knowing THIS was going to happen!” I almost believe him now, after saying something that stupid.

“Ha ha, I guess you’re right.”

“So, how come you can sense things anyway? It seems like an odd skill for a weapons expert.”

“Maybe at first, but not if you think about it. See, this skill actually plays into my weapons expertise. If someone has a weapon and I can sense what they’re feeling, I can make an effort to calm them down and disarm them.”

“I can see where that skill would be useful.”

“Because even though I like weapons, I cannot condone using them. Without a good reason, of course.”

“Like how Troy uses his sword?”

“Exactly. And truth be told, that’s also the reason I’ve been hanging around Andy. He’s a bag of nerves. I can’t stand the thought of someone like that doing something they’ll regret because they were too afraid to confront themselves.”

_I guess if I had the ability, I’d be worried about Andy too. I could sense his nervousness without that ability honed. I can’t imagine what it must be like with it._ “Alright, I guess your story checks out. But the second it doesn’t, I’m coming for you with all my might.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Pierce went back into the art room. I can finally sense where he’s coming from. It must be hard to sense those kinds of things in people all the time. But I’m kind of glad the person with that kind of power is a guy like him.

There was someone else I thought could be related, and I have a feeling I know where they are. I walked upstairs and made my way to her room, and knocked.

“I’ll be there in a second” Cassy said. Sure enough, she was there. She opened the door. “Come in.” I came in at her request “What is it? I’m trying to work though what I know.”

I saw that she was vigorously going over what she had collected before. “Well, I want to ask you about a few things.”

“I don’t have time! I need to find out who the Ultimate Killer is before anything happens.”

“Well then, I guess I’ll get straight to the point. How can any of us be sure you’re not the Ultimate Killer?”

She looked at me like I was an idiot. “Are you an idiot?!”

“Well, it doesn’t seem too much out of the realm of possibility. A genius detective turning out to actually be a serial killer that they can’t catch. It seems plausible.”

“That kind of thing only happens in mystery novels. Usually serial killers are just people with a specific goal in mind, or just kill for fun.”

“Well then here’s a goal for you. To always have a mystery.”

“What kind of goal is that?”

“Well, it seemed like you get really enthusiastic about working a case.” I was starting to get a little nervous.

“Well, yeah, but how’s that a good reason for accusing me of this? If I was the one behind this, I’d be out there, leading the police on a wild goose chase, and then figuring out a way to get in to save you, only to be too late and find all of you dead. Not in this Hell, being accused by someone of being the very thing I hate.”

She has a point. “I’m sorry” I said softly.

“*sigh* It’s OK. I don’t blame people for coming to the wrong conclusion. Especially when the situation is as dire as this, where their head can get all messed up. If I blamed people for coming to the wrong conclusion, I wouldn’t have such a good rapport with the police.”

“I see…” I said. _I don’t know if I should take that as a positive or a negative._

“I just can’t wrap my head around a few things.”

“If you want, I have some information that might help.” I tell her everything I learned from Monobird and Pierce.

“I see. That is very helpful. But why didn’t Pierce stop it when he felt something off?”

“My guess is that while he can sense things like he can, if he doesn’t know who or what he’s looking for, it’s hard to pinpoint.”

“Hmmm. I guess that makes sense. Well, thanks for coming in.”

“Wha-”

“I have to reorganize my corkboard now, so can you please leave?”

“Uh, sure” I said. I left her room. There was one other person I needed to talk to. I went out to the top of the stairway. “Hey Monokuma!” I called out.

Monokuma popped out out of nowhere. “Oh? It’s so unusual for someone to be contacting me right away. What can I do ya for?”

_Just looking at Monokuma makes me feel uneasy._ “I have some questions I’d like to ask.”

“Interesting…” said Monokuma. “I might have answers for you. Depending.”

“First thing’s first, Monobird told me you appeared as Monokuma once before. He said that you just killed everyone. Is there more to it than that?”

Monokuma just stood there. “…Ya got me. Yes, I was trying to play a game of mutual killing with those fine office people, but they didn’t want to play with me. Instead, they tried to attack me. So I killed them all.”

_Just as I feared._

“Still, bird brain remembers that?” Monokuma said gleefully. “How sweet of him.”

“A-anyway” I said. “You have the power to kill us all instantly then. Why not use it?”

“It’s more fun that way!” Monokuma laughed.

_He’s hiding something._ “Why us though? Surely this game could have been populated by just anyone.”

“Pooh-hoo, wouldn’t you like to know?”

Chills ran down my spine. “My next few questions are about the game itself. First, you want us all dead, right?”

“Is that the full question?”

“Wha-no. My question is couldn’t you just tamper with the evidence to make us think it was the wrong person so we’d vote for them?”

“I see, I see. To answer your question, that would ruin the fun of the game, and I’m not here to ruin your fun. So, no, I won’t tamper with the crime scenes or evidence.”

“Second, what are the rules for accomplices? Are they punished as well?”

“Hmmmm. I don’t mind the idea, but for the sake of the game, there can only be one blacked at a time. If two or more people cooperate in a murder, only the one who committed the murder will be punished.”

“So, what about if two people kill two other people?”

“See, this is where it get tricky” Monokuma said. “But there can be no more than two murders at a time, even if the same person is killing someone. And once an investigation starts, it has to be followed though. If another body is found during an investigation, that killing will not be investigated.”

“So, what if someone finds themselves in a fatal situation on accident, an someone could save them, but doesn’t?”

“Explain!”

“Well, for instance, what if someone trips into a pool and can’t swim. But someone is there who can, but doesn’t, or takes something away from them that could save them.”

“Oooooooooh! How devilish. In that instance, that person will be considered blackened.”

“What if someone accidentally manages to break one of your rules? Like someone poisons something and three people eat it on accident.”

“No exceptions.”

“Finally, what happens if you break one of these rules?”

Monokuma just stood there again. “I won’t break any of these rules. But, if you insist I would, then I suppose that if that were to happen, then the rules would cease to be in effect.”

“Care to get that all in writing?”

“Pooh-hooh. Anything for my favorite murder victim.” Monokuma disappeared. Suddenly an announcement came on. “Attention class members of Hope’s Peak Academy: Due to the persistence of one of you, namely Justin Arbil, I will now add more rules to the killing game. Have fun killing.”

I looked at my Monopad. Sure enough, all of the new rules were implemented. I noticed that “Rule END” was still at the bottom. I guess that means he can still add some things, if he so chooses.

Suddenly, I heard all of my fellow classmates rush up the stairs. “Hey guys. How is it going?”

“DON’T FUCK WITH US!” Buck shouted. “WHY DID YOU ADD MORE RULES TO THIS THING WE AREN’T DOING?!”

“Yeah!” said May. “Do you want us to start the killing game?! DO you want us to all die?!”

“It’s not like that” I cried out.

“Then what is it like, good sir? If I can still call you that” Troy growled.

“Yeah, how do we know YOU’RE not the one who trapped us in here and forced us to kill each other?” accused Tammy.

“Yeah, you were asking that about Pierce earlier” Andy said with conviction. “Who’s to say that you did just do that to pull the heat off of you?”

“I’m not” I said softly.

“Why should we believe you?” said Roman, furiously.

“I hope this isn’t true” said Maria.

“You were asking about our talents yesterday. How do we know that you weren’t looking to see what makes us tick?” said Annabelle.

“Yeah, come to think of it, you’re the only one here without a talent” said Elliot. “I’d say that’s miiiiighty suspicious of you.”

“It’s not true, is it?” Sophie asked.

“Well, we should keep an eye on him” said Rachel.

“I say we just lock him in his room and forget about him” said Duke.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” shouted Pierce from the crowd. “We can’t just go ganging up on people like this and accusing them. We have to stick together, if we want to make it through this.”

I was shocked. “Why are you doing this?”

“Um, yeah why ARE you doing this?” asked Andy. “I mean, he accused you of this as well.”

“That’s no reason to accuse him. He was just looking for answers” said Pierce.

“But, so are we” said Duke.

“You wanted to lock him in his room before he got the chance to answer” said Cassy, standing out of the crowd. “That’s not the same, and you know it.”

Everyone was shocked. “Right, I’m sorry. Go ahead” said Duke. I was confused. “Well, are you going to explain or not?”

“I’m afraid” I answered.

“What?!” said Duke, taken aback.  
“I’m afraid” I admitted again. “Monokuma- no, the Ultimate Killer, has the ability to just kill us all instantly. Yet he wants us to play this sick game of his. There has to be a reason for it.”

“Well, like we said, good sir” Troy began, “we just won’t play this game of his.”

“But we can’t just do that!” I said. “Look at what he’s done overnight. He trapped Monobird. Replaced all of the escape traps with deadly ones. Set up a camera system. Set up a way to announce things. Took our phones right out from under us. All in the span of one night. This guy’s no joke. If he wants us to play this killing game, then sooner or later we will play this game whether we want to or not. That’s why I’m afraid of him.”

“So then, why all the new rules?” asked Maria.

“Because I need to hold him to it as well” I answered. “I need to prepare him just in case he messes up. I’m looking for any opening I can take to make sure that none of us die.”

“Aww, and here I thought you wanted to make the game more exciting” Monokuma’s voice echoed. He then appeared out of nowhere again. “But he’s right. You all can’t just ignore the game forever. I will be sure to get these killings off to a ROARing start. BAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Monokuma!” Cassy shouted. “I have a question for you.”

“What is it?” Monokuma said, annoyed.

“Is the Ultimate Killer, or someone helping the Ultimate Killer, someone among us?” asked Cassy.

“Welllllll..” Monokuma began, “if I say ‘yes’ you wouldn’t believe me, and if I said ‘no’ you wouldn’t believe me either. So, I’m going to leave that for you guys to figure

out. Bye bye now!” Monokuma left as mysteriously as he appeared.

“I don’t care what he says,” said Pierce, “but there’s no way any of us are helping him.” We all nodded in agreement.

“But still, Monokuma said it himself, the killings will begin” said Cassy. “Are we prepared for when that happens? For when one of us turns our back on the others and kills someone?” We all looked at each other. She’s right. So long as the game is happening, we have to keep safe from anyone wanting to do harm to us. Including ourselves.

We all decided to turn in for the evening. It’s hard to face this new reality that we’re in. But soon enough we have to face it. Before I went to my room I stopped Pierce and Cassy to say “Thank you for that. I don’t know what would have happened if that kept up.”

“…It’s fine” said Cassy. “I would have done that for anyone.”

“No worries, man” said Pierce. “We just gotta stick together in times like these.”

Stick together, huh? Can we do that, and keep ourselves safe from each other? Only time will tell, but I sure hope we can.

**Prologue: END**

**Remaining Students: 16**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus ends the prologue. A lot of my parts are going to be pretty long. Just a heads up for all of you.


	5. Character Profiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Character Profiles for the students of Danganronpa: Away

Justin Arbil

Height: 5’8”

Weight: 150 lbs.

Chest: 30”

Blood Type: O

Birthday: October 10

Likes: Sleeping In

Dislikes: Tomatoes

Title: Ultimate ???

Appearance: Messy brown hair, green eyes, white short-sleeved dress shirt, black tie, blue jeans, green shoes, and a black and white checkered wristband.

 

Troy Devilnski

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 161 lbs.

Chest: 32”

Blood Type: A

Birthday: June 30

Likes: Comic Books

Dislikes: Foul Villains

Title: Ultimate Parkour Artist

Appearance: Red eyes, black trench-coat, gelled up black hair, a black shirt, black pants, black shoes, and a sword.

 

Buck Raptor

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 157 lbs.

Chest: 28”

Blood Type: B

Birthday: December 12

Likes: Swearing

Dislikes: Getting Punished for swearing

Title: Ultimate Basketball Player

Appearance: Spiky red hair guy, blue eyes, a green basketball uniform, and sunglasses.

 

Tammy Sparks

Height: 4’5”

Weight: 99 lbs.

Chest: 26”

Blood Type: B

Birthday: March 7

Likes: Tinkering

Dislikes: Police Officers

Title: Ultimate Technician

Appearance: Blonde hair in a ponytail, brown eyes, a green shirt, brown short shorts, pink and black striped long socks, goggles, and a tool kit on her waist.

 

Pierce Legna

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 200 lbs.

Chest: 32”

Blood Type: AB

Birthday: February 22

Likes: Helping People

Dislikes: Weapons Being Used for Evil Purposes

Title: Ultimate Weapons Expert

Appearance: Light blue eyes, red tank-top, blonde spiky hair, cargo pants and a goatee.

 

Annabelle Winchell

Height: 5’5”

Weight: 133 lbs.

Chest: 32”

Blood Type: O

Birthday: April 29

Likes: The Truth

Dislikes: Lies

Title: Ultimate News Reporter

Appearance: Brown eyes, brown buttoned up trench-coat, black jeans, glasses, and a reporters hat.

 

Maria Albright

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 174 lbs.

Chest: 37”

Blood Type: A

Birthday: November 13

Likes: Fall Colors

Dislikes: An empty work area

Title: Ultimate Tapestry Artist

Appearance: Red eyes, white shirt, a blue apron, a green bandana, red hair, and jeans.

 

Roman Grace

Height: 5’3”

Weight: 223 lbs.

Chest: 29”

Blood Type: B

Birthday: October 9

Likes: Maria

Dislikes: Critics

Title: Ultimate Sculptor

Appearance: Brown smock, a green sweater, corduroys, black shoes, brown hair, and black eyes.

 

Duke Hunter

Height: 6’3”

Wight: 207 lbs.

Chest: 33”

Blood Type: AB

Birthday: May 22

Likes: Change

Dislikes: People doubting him

Title: Ultimate Chemist

Appearance: Tan shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, a fishers hat, and colored-lens sunglasses.

 

Elliot Fairville

Height: 5’6”

Weight: 147 lbs.

Chest: 31”

Blood Type: O

Birthday: July 11

Likes: Candy

Dislikes: Slowpokes

Title: Ultimate Contestant

Appearance: Sailor outfit (red ascot, white top, and a blue skirt), brown hair in a ponytail, and red eyes.

 

Jay Lafayette

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 212 lbs.

Chest: 26”

Blood Type: B

Birthday: August 18

Likes: Competition

Dislikes: Hospitals

Title: Ultimate Track Member

Appearance: Gold eyes, shaggy brown hair, a blue shirt, red pants, long socks, and track shoes.

 

Andy Fisher

Height: 4’9”

Weight: 104 lbs.

Chest: 27”

Blood Type: A

Birthday: November 2

Likes: Research

Dislikes: Scary Movies

Title: Ultimate Trivia Expert

Appearance: Black eyes, messy black hair, a back suit with a turquoise shirt underneath, and glasses.

 

Rachel Lewis

Height: 5’7”

Weight: 152 lbs.

Chest: 30”

Blood Type: O

Birthday: September 7

Likes: Punk Music

Dislikes: Inaccuracy

Title: Ultimate Historian

Appearance: Purple eyes, long black hair, a white shirt, a purple coat, jeans, and black gloves.

 

May Venus

Height: 5’4”

Weight: 137 lbs.

Chest: 36”

Blood Type: A

Birthday: January 19

Likes: Glow Sticks

Dislikes: Shellfish

Title: Ultimate DJ

Appearance: Brown eyes, glasses, a no-sleeve yellow sweater, brown pants, blue sandals, headphones, and some red and green wristbands.

 

Sophie Lincoln

Height: 5’3”

Weight: 127 lbs.

Chest: 34”

Blood Type: A

Birthday: March 17

Likes: Ice Cream

Dislikes: Public Restrooms

Title: Ultimate Good Luck

Appearance: Green eyes, brown shoulder-length hair, white shirt, a green hoodie, a black skirt, long black socks, black shoes.

 

Cassy Williams

Height: 5’6”

Weight: 125 lbs.

Chest: 34”

Blood Type: AB

Birthday: April 17

Likes: Mysteries

Dislikes: Criminals

Title: Ultimate Detective

Appearance: Blonde shoulder-length hair, kept up with a blue butterfly hair clip, hazel eyes, a black zipped up hoodie, a lavender skirt, black tights, and black shoes


	6. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 1: A Smiling Face Betrays the Truth (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the killing game formally begins. Our heroes are desperate for a way out, but Monokuma is crafting something in the shadows. Can strengthened bonds forge together to beat Monokuma, or will a chain break and a body be found?

In my dream last night I was with my grandfather. He was a big man, with an equally big heart. He was distracted by work often, even after he formally retired. This was one time were it wasn’t. It was just me and him at a restaurant. It was peaceful. Unlike this killing game. And unlike what was about to happen.

I heard an alarm go off and then I heard Monokuma say “Good morning everyone. It is now 8 am, day time. I hope you enjoy your teenage days to the fullest. Happy killing!”

I woke up to that. “8 am, huh? That stinks” said.

“Yeah, well, get used to it” Monokuma said popping up in my room.

“GAH!” I screamed. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?”

Monokuma just stared at me for a second. “To be honest, this was just a coincidence. I just finished installing this monitor” he said, gesturing toward the monitor just below the security camera. “This is my last stop.”

“How?” I asked. “I’m not even on an end room.”

“Yeah, well, I just like antagonizing you” said Monokuma. “So I made an exception to efficiency to see you first thing in the morning.”

_Great. On top of being trapped in his psycho death game, he has a special interest in making me mad. This is going to be a long process._ “Why are you even installing this thing anyway? Didn’t you do everything you needed to last night?” I asked.

“I did not” Monokuma responded. “Technically, I’m still not done. I have a whole school to renovate.”

“Why couldn’t you have done that when you came here yesterday?”

“Because, even though I’m a super powerful bear, I can’t do everything in one night. I’m not Santa Claus, you know.”

“You certainly have the Claws part down.”

Monokuma looked embarrassed. “What’s this? Someone making a bear pun before I could do it? I feel so ashamed.”

Monokuma continued to sulk. I asked him “So, what do these monitors do?”

“Oh yeah” he said, snapping out of his sadness. “They’re there to make announcements.”

“Announcements?”

“Yes, you heard that it was morning now. Stuff like that.”

“You’re going to be doing that every day?”

“Yep. Mornings start at 8 am. Nights start at 10 pm. I was more relaxed with this yesterday because I had just arrived and you were basking in my greatness. But from now  
on, there will be day time and night time.”

“What’s the difference between the two settings?”

“Well, for now, there’s only one difference that matters. During the night, you aren’t allowed in other student’s rooms without their permission.”

“Isn’t that a bit detrimental to your endgame? If you want us all dead, wouldn’t it be better to let us sneak into their rooms and kill them unsuspectingly?”

“Yeah, but that’s kind of boring, don’t you think? I’d rather the game be interesting than easy. Besides, I didn’t say there was no way into their room at night, right? You just have to be invited in. Whether it be for killing or… other things… I’ll let that be up to you.”

“Other things?”

“Yeah, I know how teenagers get. You’re just a big bag of hormones right now. What you feel is natural.”

_Ah. So that’s what he was talking about._ “I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing those things with a security camera in here. Especially with you on the other side.”

“I get it. Performance issues?”

“Wha? NO! It’s just creepy that you’d be watching.”

“Oh, that. You don’t need to worry about that. I’m the one reviewing the footage, not the Ultimate Killer.”

“Like there’s a difference.”

“There is. The Ultimate Killer is a human. I’m merely a robotic puppet. I have not been programed to feel any of those teenage emotions. I only know of them.”

“That’s… reassuring…”

“Anyway, the night rule has been added to your Monopads, along with another rule that was added at the behest of Cassy. You should look it over.” Monokuma then disappeared without a trace.

I looked at the new rules. Sure enough, one of them was the new night/day system, along with the rule he explained to me already. The other one, the one added at the behest of Cassy was as follows “The game of mutual killing will end when there are only two people remaining or if I get bored.”

“Well, he did say he didn’t want the game to be boring.”

Just then a chime sounded, and Monokuma came onto the monitor. “Attention everyone! Along with the new day/night system, two new rules were added. One of them by the request of Cassy Williams. Anyway, be sure to look through them. Happy killing!”

_Was he going to end all of his announcements like that?_ No matter. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and headed out.

When I walked out, I saw Troy there. “What was keeping you, good sir?”

“Monokuma was chatting me up” I answered.

“I see. That foul villain, certainly is troublesome. No matter, I stayed behind to get you.”

“Get me for what?”

“The rest of us agreed to meet for breakfast every morning to discuss our situation. I thought you would want to do that too, so it was a unanimous vote. Come on, good sir, everyone is waiting.” I followed Troy down to the dining area.

When we got down to the dinning area we saw everyone sitting down. A slew of breakfast food was laid out. I grabbed some pancakes and bacon, put them on a plate, and started eating.

“Now that we’re all here, good sirs and madams” said Troy, “shall we begin discussing our current situation.”

“I suppose we should” said Rachel. “So, where do we start?”

“First, I think we should talk about the new rules Monokuma added” said Cassy.

“You mean the night rule and your rule?” said Andy.

“Yes” said Cassy. “Moreso the rule I asked about. It seems like Monokuma will get bored after a while and end the game there.”

“So, what does that mean, exactly?” asked Jay.

Cassy sighed. “I suppose, since this is the Ultimate Killer we’re talking about, the most likely outcome is probably that he’ll just kill us all.”

“Hold on, one fuckin’ minute!” shouted Buck. “Monokuma did say that we could all take him on if we teamed up! We have a chance!”

“He also said that the Ultimate Killer will send a new one. We’ll run out of energy at some point” Cassy replied.

“True, but he didn’t say how long it would take” I said. “Besides, if the game is over, we wouldn’t need to follow his rules, and those machine guns wouldn’t be going off. We’d stand a much better chance that way.”

“So, we just gotta wait it out” said Roman.

“It’s not that simple” I said. “Monokuma is desperate to make us play his game. It’s why he hasn’t killed us yet. He’s got something planned if we don’t start. I just know it.”

Everyone looked solemn. I know what I just said was harrowing, but it is the truth. “Um, what about escaping?” asked Sophie.

“It seems prrrrrety hard to escape from this place” said May. “Almost impossible, I’d say.”

“I could probably disable everything,” said Tammy, “if I had the blueprints for it. But I don’t think Monokuma would be willing to hand those out anytime soon.”

“Plus, Monokuma seems to be continually adding stuff to this place, which I assume would only make things harder” said Maria.

“Don’t remind me” said Tammy. “The thought of him being in our rooms creeps me out.”

“At least you didn’t wake up to him” I said.

“So, we’re just going to wait it out then?” asked Elliot.

“It seems that way” Duke replied.

“So, what do we do then?” Elliot said.

“I guess, if we’re stuck here for a while, we might want to get to know each other better” said Pierce.

“That’s a great idea” said Annabelle. She eagerly got a notepad out. “So, what’s everyone’s favorite color? Their favorite food? Favorite animal?”

“Whoa, calm down for a second” said Pierce. “I think we should do this more naturally.”

“Naturally?” asked Annabelle.

“Yeah. You know, just hang out with each other and see what happens” said Pierce.

“Oh” said Annabelle, dejected. “I guess that works too.”

“So, just do what we’ve been doing?” I asked. “OK. That seems like a fair plan.”

“Then it’s settled” said Cassy. “We wait for Monokuma to get bored, and then strike.”

Of course, the obvious danger of saying out plan aloud like that was that Monokuma was listening to it all. But on the bright side, he didn’t interrupt us to say anything, so I assume that what we said is at least somewhat viable.

I wanted to have a look around the school to see if Monokuma added anything else. I also needed to ask Monobird something as well. I looked at the front entrance. Monokuma seems to have set up a store. There’s a bunch of items on display.

“Welcome” said Monokuma popping out from behind the counter.

I was somewhat used to this by now. “So, what’s the deal with this store?” I asked.

“Well, it’s here that you can buy things.”

“I know what a store is. Why is there one set up here?”

“To buy things.”

“Why?”

“Come on, this is a game. Games are fun. This is supposed to be a fun little addition.”

“You say ‘fun,’ but this game is meant to kill us.”

“That’s what makes this game REALLY fun.”

I didn’t want to debate this with him, because he really derives fun from our pain. “So, what does this store have?”

“Well, it has tools for murder!” Monokuma said menacingly. “Or, if you’re boring, you could just get stuff to decorate your room with. Or other games to play.”

“I don’t suppose you take the money in my wallet, do you?”

“Nope. For this game, you get a special type of currency: The Monocoin.”

“How do we get them?” I begrudgingly asked.

“I’m glad you asked” replied Monokuma like he was an infomercial salesperson. “Starting tomorrow, I will give you a daily allowance of 100 Monocoins. Also, you can find some around the school. But the way to get the most is to be a spotless and win a trial!”

“I see, and these coins just pop into our rooms, right?”

“Yup!”

“So, I just need to wait until midnight to try this out.”

Monokuma seemed shocked. “Wait just a moment” he said, leaving in a panic. “Attention students!” he said over the monitor. “There is a new rule. Please look it over on your Monopads. Happy killing!”

I looked at my Monopad. The new rule was “The Monokuma Mart part of the Monokuma shopping district will be closed at nights.” “That’s weird” I said.

“What is?” said Monokuma.

“The rule implies there’s more to this storefront than the store.”

“There is. It’s right over there” Monokuma said, pointing to a machine that you would see at like a pizza place, or a gas station.

“What is that?”

“That is the MonoMono Machine. Put some Monocoins in and test your luck for fabulous prizes.”

“What kind of prizes?”

“Eh, nothing much. Just little things really. Maybe you can pawn them off on others.” Monokuma then disappeared.

What a strange bear. He is encouraging everyone to kill each other, but he wants to make it fun. I can’t even begin to comprehend why someone would think this is fun.

Anyway, I made my way over to the gym. Interestingly no one was really doing much. I saw Elliot and Buck looking around for something. I paid no attention to it. My focus was on Monobird. “Hey Monobird!” I called out.

“Yes?” Monobird answered.

I walked toward him, and as I did, I looked up to see Monobird’s cage was dangling from something from the ceiling. “OK, first of all, what is that?” I asked pointing up.

“Oh that?” said Monobird. “Monokuma installed that. He says he’s going to make a full system so I can move around at my leisure.”

“That’s one hell of a consolation prize.”

“I know it’s not much, but it is better than being stuck in here.”

“I suppose.”

“Is that all you wish to ask me?”

“No. I have a few other things I want to know about.”

“Fire away.”

“What’s the deal with the phones?”

“Ah yes. They are for contact the rooms of other students. Each phone has a button that when pressed will allow you to call another student’s room.”

“I see.”

“It was a way for you to keep in contact, and also know what someone wanted to do without having to go and knock on their door.”

“Does the phone have any special features?”

“Yes. All calls are automatically recorded. However, it does not have caller ID. I assumed it wasn’t needed because you would get to know each other well enough to know who was on the other end.”

“How do we access the recordings?”

“You just hit the button at the bottom and it will display on the touch screen. Tap a message to hear it.”

“Is it possible to delete the recordings?”

“Yes, but for a week the phone will display a ‘Message Deleted’ message in the touch screen.”

“Hmmmm. One last question. If a situation were to arise where one of us kills someone else, can we count on you to help us?”

“Certainly” said Monobird.

“Absolutely not” said Monokuma popping out again.

“Wha-WHAT?!” said Monobird.

“Sorry, but since Monobird isn’t playing the game, he isn’t allowed to help anyone who is” said Monokuma.

“That would be really helps to have in the rules” I said. “At least I caught it before one of us needed to depend on it.”

“Bear-y well then” he said, vanishing. Another announcement played “Attention students! There is a new rule on your Monopads. Be sure to look it over. Happy Killing!”

I looked at my Monopad. “What does it say?” Monobird asked.

“Um, let’s see” I said. “It says ‘Monobird is not a credible witness, nor a credible alibi. He can assist in investigations, as long as he does not know any aspect of the murder before the body is discovered.’” I could see Monobird was displeased. “Sorry about that” I said.

“It is alright. It is Monokuma’s fault, not yours” Monobird replied.

“Well, thanks anyway. I’m sure what you’ve said will prove to be useful.”

“Does that mean you’re finished?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Alright then. He’s all yours, Buck!”

_What?_

“Thanks Monobird!” said Buck from behind me. I turned around to see Buck, Jay, and Troy. “So Justin, are you ready?!”

“Ready for what?” I asked.

Buck smiled. “Glad you asked” he said. “We’re holding a 4-on-4 basketball game; Boys vs Girls. You’re our fourth. Let’s go!”

“WHAT?!” I shrieked. “But I don’t think I’d be a good fit. What about Pierce?”

“Pierce said he preferred to be the ref, good sir” said Troy.

“It’ll be fine” said Jay. “We got your back. Although, I am surprised that you don’t think you can keep up. You seem fit.”

“I’m fine at sports, it’s just I don’t think I’d be as good as three Ultimates with athletic abilities.”

“IS THAT ALL YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT?!” shouted Buck.

“AH!” I shouted back.

“DON’T WORRY ABOUT A FUCKIN’ THING! THIS IS JUST FOR FUN!” Buck continued.

“Uhhhhhhhhhhh” I stammered.

“BESIDES, MAYBE YOU’LL FIND YOUR FUCKIN’ AWESOME TALENT IN THIS GAME! YOU’VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE!”

I stared at them for a second. “Alright, I’m in.”

“YEAH!” said Troy, Jay, and Buck.

“Who we playing?” I asked.

“Right over here” said Elliot. I looked over to see her, along with Rachel, Sophie, and May. “You boys ready?”

“YOU KNOW IT!” Buck shouted.

“Ha! This’ll be easy” said Jay.

“Don’t I know it, good sir” said Troy.

“I don’t think so” I said. Jay and Troy turn to look at me. “Elliot can wear down Buck. She’s probably going to try and wear us all down. May has a lot of energy in her as well. On top of that, she’s good at reading situations. Rachel is similarly analytical, and is a force to be reckoned with when she gets serious. I wouldn’t be surprised if she pulled off some sweet moves this game. And Sophie is something of a wild card. She might seem average, but remember, she’s Ultimate Good Luck. That could mean things  
get very interesting, very quickly.”

“NOW THAT’S SOME GOOD ANALYTICAL SHIT YA GOT THERE!” said Buck.

“Still,” I continued, “I think we can win. We just can’t let our guard down.”

“NOW THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!” siad Buck. “THINK YOU CAN BRING THAT SKILL TO THE COURT?!”

“Yeah!” I shouted.

“ALRIGHT THEN! LET’S FUCKING DO IT!” screamed Buck. We all cheered as we pumped our fists in the air.. As we set up, I noticed that Annabelle and Andy were sitting at a table outside the court. Behind them in the bleachers was Cassy, Duke, Maria, Roman, and Tammy.

Once we were in position I heard Annabelle say “This game is certainly going to shape up into something fierce.”

“Totally” said Andy. “It hasn’t even started yet, and I already have goosebumps.”

“Truly, this will be a battle of the Ultimates” Annabelle stated.

“Ready to get dunked on?” asked Buck at the tip-off.

“I think you got your roles backwards” said Elliot from the other side.

“I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY AND BEAT US!”

“I’d like to see you try at all.”

Pierced walked up to the both of them, holding a basketball. “Save it for the game, you two” he said, putting the basketball in front of them. “Are you ready?” They both nodded. “Then here…we…go!” he flung the ball into the air.

“AND WE’RE OFF!” shouted Andy.

“It looks like Elliot won the tip-off” said Annabelle. “And now she’s passing it on over to Rachel!”

“Heh” Buck scoffed. “No matter, WE GOT THIS!”

We played our game of basketball. It was certainly the most intense game of basketball I’ve ever played, but also the most fun. I guess this is what happens when Ultimates clash. Buck’s reflexes are nothing to sneeze at. One time, when Elliot came charging in for a shot, Buck stole the ball from under her nose before she even knew what was happening. He made a three-pointer after that. That’s not to say Elliot wasn’t impressive. Due to her being a contestant, she knew what skills to pull out when. I hate to admit it, but she got through our defence a few times just by using her beauty on me. Though when it comes to using other skills for this, Jay was second to none. He used his speed and maneuverability to get to the hoop faster than anyone else could. It wasn’t always the best course of action, because May was able to pick up on Jay’s pattern after a few times and steal the ball back.

Troy had the most steals of the game though. No one could feel his movements before a steal and the way he dunked was amazing. Rachel was also really good at dunking. Her dunks were stylish too. And just as thought, Sophie had a lot of good luck this game, and scored the most three-pointers. A lot of them were on accident though as she was prone to tripping. Annabelle and Andy kept up the play-by-play really well. They knew what was going on no matter what happened, and a lot happened during the game. As for me, well, I think I did alright. I had the most assists, and some of them were well planned out. I once shot the ball outside the girls and Buck went in, snagged it, and made a dunk. I also made some shots, but I think I had the least points in the game.

By the end of the game we were all tired. When the last buzzer sounded all of us hit the floor, just needing a break from all the excitement that just happened. Our team won, but it was close: 157 to 156. After laying down on the court for a few minutes, the eight of us got up and high-fived each other. We then decided to go to the dining area and eat a hearty lunch.

None of us talked for about 5 minutes. That’s when everyone else joined us and they all began talking.

“MAN! That game was incredible!” said Annabelle. “I had so much fun announcing it.”

“So did I” said Andy looking the calmest I’ve seen him since we got here.

“Yeah, how did you manage to keep up with some of those stunts?” I asked.

“I found it kind of easy to keep track” said Andy. “In trivia contests, a few seconds could make or break you. So you always have to be on the ready not only to answer, but keep up with everyone else.”

“I thought it was easy to keep track as well” said Annabelle. “I’m used to reporting on all sorts of sporting events. Stuff like this doesn’t phase me. Although this is the most exciting things have gotten in a match I was watching.”

“I see” I said. “So Andy, is trying to keep up with people in a trivia contest the reason you’re so on edge all the time?”

Pierce gave me a look, but Andy said “I know I get nervous easily, but a trivia contest is the one place I don’t get nervous.”

“Really?” I said, as Pierce turned to him as well.

“Yeah” said Andy. “I actually feel really confident during trivia contests. Because I know what to expect. Like, in general, I mean. I don’t know the questions beforehand. I’m not the Ultimate Cheater, you know. But, like, walking in, I know I’m to expect questions, and that I’m to give answers, and I know who’s all there. I get nervous is most situations because a lot of that information is unknown to me.”

_He’s a really good kid._ “Well, I hope you’ll get to know us better so you’re not so antsy when we talk to you, OK?” I said.

“Uh, sure” Andy replied.

“Anyway!” said Buck.

“AH!” said Andy, getting nervous again.

“How about celebrating our victory?” continued Buck. “And celebrating this game in general? It is not everyday that I get to work with, and compete against, such amazing players. I mean, both of us got into the 150’s! That doesn’t happen very often. To our amazing teams” Buck said, holding up his glass.

The rest of us players clinked our glasses with Buck’s. “I’m amazed that even with me on the team, we still managed to win” I said.

“What are you fuckin’ talking about?” asked Buck. “You contributed to half of our baskets made.”

“I only got 30 points though” I said.

“Yeah, but you also assisted a lot!” said Buck. “Basketball’s a team game. You can’t expect to make all the shots yourself.”

“That’s so true!” said May. “It’s impossible to be good at anything if you’re the only one doing it. I could put the fiercest beat down, but if no one wants to dance to it, then nobody’s partying.”

“I guess that’s true” I said. “Your team did really well too.”

“Yeah, well, we try” said Elliot. “But fair’s fair, and you still won.” She put her finger under my chin and pushed my head up. “So, how do you want to celebrate your victory?”

I started blushing. “Probably not the way you’re thinking of” I said. “I’m still worn down from the game.”

“I guess I should have distracted you more” said Elliot. “I knew the plan I can up with at halftime would have worked.”

“IT WOULD HAVE, BUT I WASN’T GOING TO DO IT!” said Sophie, who also started to blush.

“What was wrong with it?” asked Elliot.

“YOU WANTED US TO PLAY IN ONLY OUR UNDERWEAR!” shouted Sophie.

Troy did a spit take. He then coughed. “Sorry…it’s just that…” Troy also started to blush “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I don’t think anyone was” said Jay.

“I also would not have allowed it, good madams” said Troy. “I would become to weak willed, and I couldn’t protect any of you if something were to happen.”

“Then, I guess it’s fine we didn’t do it” said Elliot. “After all, Superman can’t be Superman if there’s kryptonite around.”

“I’m surprised you were still on alert, so to speak” I said.

“Well, I technically wasn’t, good sir” said Troy. “Even heroes need to relax sometimes. But I still need to be able-bodied in case something comes up suddenly.”

“I get ya” I said.

“I’d love to see you in action sometime” said Rachel. “I’d love to know how you use what inspires you.”

“Speaking of,” I said, “who inspired you to pull off serious dunks like that Rachel?”

“I second that questions, good madame” said Troy.

“Dr. J” said Rachel.

“What?” I said.

“Dr. J is the nickname for basketball legend Julius Irving” said Andy.

“Oh…I see…” I said.

“You do know that basketball history is still history?” said Rachel.

“…Right” I said. _I didn’t even consider that when she said history, it meant stuff like this as well. Man, she really is amazing. They all are._

“JUSTIN!” Buck called out.

“AH!” I called back.

“When we’re done, can you meet me in my room?” Buck asked.

“Uh, sure” I said.

“Great!” said Buck. He then kept eating. I did the same.

Buck finished eating and he put his dishes away. I looked at Cassy, and the back at Buck. “Hey Buck!” I said.

“Yeah?!” he replied.

“Um, do you mind if I stay behind and do something first?” I asked.

“Go ahead!” said Buck. He then left.

I then walked up to Cassy. “So, thanks for showing up” I said. “It doesn’t seem like the type of thing that you would do.”

Cassy looked at me weird. “Pierce made me come” she said.

“Ah” I said.

“It’s not like that” she said. “I usually enjoy going to sporting events when I can. But, I’m still dealing with a lot of mysteries. I don’t like being distracted from work.”

“Still, it doesn’t hurt to take a break, once in a while” I said. Cassy seemed steamed. “I know this situation isn’t ideal, but to get through it we have to work together. It’s not enough that we wait out Monokuma, we have to wait him out as a unit.”

“What makes you say that?” she asked.

“Well, Monokuma wants us to kill each other” I began. “That means he wants to stir distrust between us. It becomes easy to stir distrust between us if you’re locked in your room all day. Monokuma could say ‘she’s plotting to kill you all’ or something.”

“I guess…” said Cassy. “I’m just so frustrated by this whole situation.”

“And this is where relaxing can help” I said. “You ever relax and then the answer you’re looking for becomes crystal clear?”

Cassy seemed shocked. “Yeah. I do that all the time.”

“It’s like that. Even though I could not imagine a situation more stressful, it helps to relax. A lot of that stress will just go away, and we all will benefit from it.”

Cassy stared at me for a moment. “Thanks” she said, finally relaxing. “In all of this confusion, I forgot what makes me a good detective. A calm and cool analysis is what is needed for situations like these.”

“Glad I could help” I said.

I started to put my dishes away, and then Cassy said “By the way, that was a great game.”

I was taken aback by that. “Thanks” I said. I put my dishes away and headed over to Buck’s room.

When I got there I knocked. He answered the door and said “You can come in, it’s not night time yet.”

“I just didn’t know if you were decent” I said.

“I’M FAN-FUCKIN’-TASTIC!” he shouted, clearly not getting what I meant.

“Sure, but I meant I didn’t know if you were dressed or whatnot” I said.

“Oh” said Buck. “ Usually take a shower after games, but I’m waiting to talk with you.”

“Oh?” I said coming in. I looked around, and his room was pretty much like mine. He sat on his bed, and I sat at his desk. “So, what are we talking about?” I asked.

“You” he replied.

“I beg your pardon?”

“WE’RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT YOU!”

“Um, OK. Why?”

Buck sighed. “You seem to lack confidence. As a member of my team, I have to make sure everyone is at the top of their game.”

“But, the game is over.”

“YOU MORON! I’M BEING GENERAL HERE! Look, even if the game is over, we’re still trapped in this school. We’re on the same team when it comes to not dying at the hands of a psychotic killer.”

“I get you. But I feel so outclassed by everyone because I don’t have a talent.”

“MORON! You HAVE a talent. It’s just unknown.”

“Well, THAT makes me feel better.”

“LISTEN STUPID! I know having an unknown talent is probably hard, but I know you. You are an Ultimate for a reason.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because we played basketball together.”

“Huh?”

“I’m the Ultimate Basketball Player. So, playing a game with someone helps me get to know someone better. I can tell that after playing with you, you are indeed an Ultimate.”

“But I can’t possibly keep up with you.”  
“And you don’t need to. I will note that your talent might not be a more physical one, but what I saw on the court wasn’t nothing. You read people and situations like nobody’s business.”

“But Rachel Troy, and May also are good at reading situations. Plus, some people that didn’t play can read situations well too.”

“Yeah, but you acted on what you read faster than anyone else. You saw openings and then immediately knew what to do with them. Your analysis skills are different from everyone else’s. They change depending on the situation, and that’s a really useful skill to have. Honestly, if I was the Ultimate Killer in this situation, I’d be the most afraid of you.”

“Really?” I said. I think I get what he’s saying.

“Of course. You’re the one who took stock of everything after Monokuma showed up. If it wasn’t for that, we’d all be letting our guard down.”

“It’s just frustrating not knowing what your talent is. Everyone else here knows what their talent is. I just want to fit in.”

“You already do. Listen, I’m not sure we could have won our game without you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Remember, before the game Troy and Jay thought this would be an easy win. You stepped in and said that despite them seeming like they don’t know what they’re doing they actually did. And you were completely right. I’ve played professionals before, and this is still the most exciting game I’ve played, because everyone was so different, and used their talent in interesting ways.”

“I guess I did.”

“Not only that, you stayed behind to get Cassy out of her own head. You knew something was up and acted on it right away.”

“You noticed that?”

“Of course I fucking did. We’re all teammates here. You gotta have a sense of what your teammates are up to. Look, I know it seems like a struggle, but you will find your talent, OK. Until then, you just have to be more confident.”

I thought about what he said for a second. “OK!”

“That’s more like it!”

“Is this confidence building the actual reason you wanted me to play?”

Buck looked at me for a second. “Nothing gets past you. You’re right, I did just want to boost your confidence. I thought playing a game of basketball would do that.”

“Well, it worked in the end.”

“I guess it did. As long as I’m being honest, we actually didn’t ask Pierce to play.”

“Why not?”

“Well, don’t get me wrong, he seems like he would do well on the court, but I just feel like he’s better at making sure everyone is remaining orderly.”

“I know what you mean. It does make sense for his talent though. He explained to me that if someone is doing something rash with a weapon, he knows how to calm them down and disarm them. I assume that can apply to other situations as well.”

“Makes sense. Listen, it seems like your confidence is pumped. So, can you get out of my room so I can take a shower?”

“Oh. Of course. Seeya later then” I said, leaving.

“Seeya” Buck said as I closed the door.

With my confidence boosted, I decided to explore the school a little more to see if anything new was constructed last night. I searched as much as I could, but there was nothing new. So, I just headed toward the art room to see if I could relax a little bit.

I saw Tammy at the desk she was usually at in this room drafting blueprints and throwing them out. “Um, is there anything I can help you with?” I asked.

“GAH!” shouted Tammy. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there. I guess you can help if you want.”

“What are you working on?”

“I’m working on a way to de-electrify the cage Monobird is in. So far, I haven’t come up with anything good.”

“Freeing Monobird is against the rules though, isn’t it?”

“Freeing Monobird? Yes. Getting the cage in a condition where he can free himself? No.”

“I get ya. That seems tough.”

“It is. It’d be easier if I had the blueprints of the cage.”

“You said that about the school too, didn’t you.”

“I’m a technician. I work in blueprints.”

“I see.”

“Still, this would also be easier if Monobird himself didn’t conduct electricity. Finding a way to short circuit the cage isn’t that hard.”

“That is tricky.” I thought about the problem for a few minutes with Tammy. “Hey wait!” I said. Tammy looked at me. “What if we didn’t worry about short circuiting Monobird?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if we ask Monobird for his blueprints? Then we can short circuit them in a way where Monobird falls out of the cage and then we can reset Monobird.”

“That’s a great idea! Let’s go!” We headed toward the gym. We found Monobird in his usual place. “Monobird, we’ve come to set you free!” said Tammy.

“That’s against the rules, Ms. Sparks.” said Monokuma popping out of nowhere.

“GAH!” said Tammy.

“Well, we found a way around that” I said.

“Oh, do tell?”

“We-wait, why do I need to say anything? You’re watching everything through a camera. You should know this.”

“I don’t” said Monobird.

“Yeah, do it for bird brain over here” said Monokuma condescendingly.

“Well, OK” I said. I don’t enjoy being theater for Monokuma, but Monobird deserves to know the plan. “Basically we need to short circuit the cage in a way so you just fall out on your own.”

“Wouldn’t that also short circuit me?” said Monobird.

“Well, yeah” said Tammy. “But this is where you can help. If you give me your blueprints, I will be able to reset you. So what do ya say?”

Monobird just stared blankly at us. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that” he said.

“Wha?” said Tammy. “But why?”

“My circuitry is very complicated. Even with your skill, it will take at least a week to get me back online. I don’t want to not know what’s going on in here for that long.”

“But still! A week is nothing compared to the rest of our lives! That’s in no way not a reason to do it” said Tammy

“But there’s something else” said Monobird. “Part of my blueprints includes a fingerprint scanner that only reacts to certain fingerprints.”

“Psh!” said Tammy. “I’ve worked my way around those before. Do you also want me to walk and chew gum at the same time?”

“I bet you could” said Monobird. “However the sensor is also equipped with a bomb. This bomb goes off if someone other than the recognized few attempt to gain control of Monobird.”

“Which is why I haven’t done so” said Monokuma.

“So?” said Tammy. Everyone was taken aback by this. “So what if this bomb goes off? Worst case scenario, I die and everyone else goes free. Isn’t that worth it?” I liked the fact that she didn’t even consider that she couldn’t get Monobird back online before the bomb went off.

“NO!” said Monobird. “I wish to avoid unnecessary death.”

“BUT LOOK AROUND!” screamed Tammy. “This whole situation is filled with unnecessary death” she said, tearing up. “So please, let me try.”

“NO!” shouted Monobird. “THERE’S TOO MUCH AT RISK! I CAN’T HAVE YOU SACRIFICE YOURSELF FOR NOTHING!”

Tammy began crying. “YOU’RE JUST LIKE HIM!” she said, storming off.

“TAMMY!” I called out.

“Wait!” said Cassy. “Leave her to me.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes” Cassy replied. “I think she needs some support, and I think she’d be more comfortable around a girl.”

“‘I’ll come to” said Sophie. “No offence Cassy, but you don’t seem personable at times”

Cassy looked strained. Sophie wasn’t exactly wrong. “OK then” said Cassy. “Let’s go.” The both chased after Tammy.

“Monobird, you cold, heartless bird you” said Monokuma.

“I am sorry” said Monobird. “But I cannot allow her to risk her life like that. I’m supposed to protect her. If she explodes because of me I could never forgive myself.”

“You could have been a bit more gentler” I said. “She wasn’t very warm to you in the first place. You going off on her probably scared her.”

“How so?” asked Monobird.

“Well, she has a distrust of cops” I said. “You barking orders at her was probably too much for her.”

Monobird went into shock. “I-I didn’t know” he said.

“I love that look on your face” said Monokuma. “It just screams ‘despair.’”

“Go away” I said. Oddly enough, that worked. Monobird was still in shock.

_I hope everything turns out alright._ I looked around the gym. Not much was happening. Everyone who would be doing something was probably still tired from the basketball game. So, I made my way back to the art room.

I entered to Roman saying “And voila. My latest statue complete.” Everyone in the art room looked over at Roman’s workspace. It was a statue of Maria.

“Oh Roman, it’s so lovely” said Maria, looking out from her loom. “It’s better than the last 300.”

“He has 300 other statues of you?” I asked.

“NO! I have 999 other statues of her” said Roman. “This is number 1,000.”

“1,000?!” I said. “That seems a little excessive.”

“Well, most of them are small, action figure sized statues” said Maria. “He only started making bigger statues about 300 of them ago.”

“Is this all you make statues of?” I asked.

“OF COURSE NOT!” said Roman. “I can make statues of anything! I just make statues of Maria to relax.”

“I see…” I said. _It seems a little weird. But it makes sense, since Maria is the first person who made him feel alive._ “So, do you do anything else to relax?”

“Well, just what Maria does” said Roman.

“What do you do when you’re alone at home?” I asked.

“I sleep” said Roman.

“Roman and his dad don’t get along very well” said Maria. “Roman just hangs out with me after school usually, and doesn’t go home until he wants to sleep. Since we both spend a lot of time in the studio anyway, it works out.”

_Roman mentioned him not getting along with his dad. I didn’t know it was that serious._ I looked over the statue more closely. I noticed that there are a lot of little details. The statue was not only incredible, it was very accurate. “Well, as this is the first statue I’ve seen from you, I’m impressed.”

“This isn’t the first statue you’ve seen that was done by me” said Roman.

“It isn’t?” I asked. Maria giggled.

“Remember when you toured Hope’s Peak?” said Roman.

“Yeah.”

“You know that statue outside of the founder?”

“Yeah.”

“That was all me.”

“Uh-huh… Wait, WHAT?! That was ALL you?”

“Yeah. Got a problem?”

“No, it’s just, I’m impressed. I didn’t expect that statue to have been done by one person.”

Maria chuckled again. “Roman does all sorts of statues all over town” she said. “But that statue of the founder was sort of his test to get into Hope’s Peak.”

“A test?” I asked.

“Yeah” said Roman. “Before me, they had someone else lined up to be the Ultimate Sculptor. However, I was found instead and asked to make a statue of the founder to prove myself.”

“That statue was pretty big” I said. “How long did it take you?”

“About a week” said Roman.

“A week?” I said in shock. “That seems almost impossible.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you let passion guide you” said Roman. “I had to work hard because Maria was already accepted.”

“I see” I said. I guess he’d do anything for her.

“Well, I’m off” said Roman. “I think I’ll just hang around with some other people before dinner. You’ll come and join me, won’t you sweetheart?”

“Of course” said Maria. Roman left the art room to mingle with some of the other students.

“So, you were accepted first?” I asked.

“Well, yes” said Maria. “My story is a lot like Roman’s actually. They found someone else to be the Ultimate Tapestry Artist, but a recruiter found me and I showed him my latest piece. He was so taken in by it that he recruited me on the spot. I was a bit nervous at first.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I was excited to be selected, but also worried about Roman. He hadn’t been selected yet. I talked to the recruiter about it, and he said he was looking into it. Still,  
when I told Roman all of this, you know what he said?”

“What?”

“He just congratulated me for getting in. He didn’t seem worried about getting selected at all. He was just happy for me.”

“I’d be happy for you too. You worked real hard, and it is finally paying off. Well, it was until all this happened.”

“Hm. I guess. Still, I owe a lot to Roman. He’s the one that keeps pushing me forward.”

“I bet he feels the same.”

“I think so too” she said. “You know, I think I’ll put my project on hold and mingle with Roman tonight.”

“Oh? What are you working on?”

“I’m working on turning that photo Monobird took of us into a tapestry. It’s going to take some doing, but I think I can manage it by tomorrow or the next day.”

“You both work expediently, don’t you?”

“Roman much more than I, but I like working as fast as I can. It gives me a chance to create more work later.”

“Well you have a good time mingling then” I said.

“Thanks” she replied. “Oh, by the way, nice game. Roman and I loved it”

“Oh, uh, thanks” I said. Maria left. I decided to just sit down for a while until I got hungry. Between the game, and what happened with Tammy, I was a bit exhausted.  
When I got hungry, I went into the dinning area. When I got there, I saw Roman, Maria, Rachel, Sophie, Tammy, Cassy, Troy, and Jay all sitting down to eat. I was glad to see Tammy was well enough to eat, but I could still tell she was upset. I went into the kitchen, made myself a sandwich, grabbed an apple, and got some milk. I then sat down close to them.

“Oh hey” said Roman. “Welcome.”

“Thank you” I said. I began eating my sandwich. I looked over at Tammy. She was eating, but just barely. I was worried, but I didn’t want to say anything in fear of making things worse. I think everyone was feeling like that, because no one at the table was talking much.

“Hey” said Tammy. Our attention turned toward her as she broke the silence. “That was a great basketball game you guys had out there.”

“Oh. Thank you, good madame” said Troy.

“What was your favorite part?” asked Sophie.

“I have two” said Tammy. “One from each team. From the guys team, I liked it when Troy blocked a shot, passed the ball to Jay, who ran up the court, and then passed it to Justin who despite being surrounded, passed it back to Buck for a three-pointer. From the girls team, I liked it when Elliot stole the ball, passed it to May, who drove through everyone, and then passed it to Sophie, who shot it up and the Rachel came in for the dunk.”

“Well, thank you” said Jay. “I’ll be sure to tell Buck that when I see him next.”

“I will tell May and Elliot the same when I see them as well” said Rachel.

“You seem to like teamwork” I said.

“*sniff* Yeah” said Tammy. “I like it when people come together. It’s like a well-oiled machine.”

We spent the rest of dinner talking about highlights from the basketball game. After dinner, Sophie, Cassy, and I walked Tammy to her room. She opened the door, and she and Sophie walked in.

“How is she doing?” I asked.

“Better” said Cassy. “It was really rough when we found her in her room earlier. She didn’t want to talk to us for a good while. We finally managed to get her to open up a bit. She was crying really hard. After Sophie reassured her that everything was OK she said she wanted to go eat, so we came down to eat. I was surprised she was willing to talk at all during dinner.”

“Well, the conversation turned out pleasant” I said. “I liked hearing what she had to say about the game. You don’t really get to hear about sports from a technician’s  
perspective too often.”

“True” said Cassy. “I hope things will be better tomorrow.”

Sophie walked out of Tammy’s room. “She’s sleeping” she said.

Just then, Monokuma made an announcement. “Hello students. It is now night time. Night time rules are in effect. Please get a good night’s rest. You need your strength for killing. Sweet dreams.”

“Well, I should go to bed as well” I said. “I’m exhausted.”

“Good night” said Sophie.

“Good night” said Cassy.

I went to my room and thought about today. Today was a long day, but it was also pretty fun. I could feel us becoming closer. I smiled, laid my head down, and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I'm not doing Monokuma theaters. I don't trust myself to replicate them well enough to do it. The process for writing those seems like a random writer on the staff got drunk and decided to write whatever the hell they want. It's on a rotation or something so it's a different writer each time. Me, being one person, couldn't possibly emulate that style of writing.
> 
> Second, while I like the name of this chapter, I guess it can be kind of confusing. Basically, it means if you're smiling in this situation you are lying to yourself that everything will be OK.
> 
> Other than that, I hope you enjoy this chapter.


	7. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 1: A Smiling Face Betrays the Truth (Part 2)

I woke up to Monokuma’s morning announcement. I was expecting to do so, especially since I fell asleep pretty early last night. But something felt horribly, horribly wrong. “OW!” I said, getting up from my bed. Everything hurt. “I guess this must be from the basketball game. Whatever, I’ll just try to get dressed or whatever.”

I got out of my bed, but that was a pain. Putting on clothes was a struggle as well. I didn’t want to take a shower because that felt like more work. Even still, I was taking a long time to get dressed.

I heard a knock at the door. “Are you alright?” I could tell it was Jay. “Monokuma’s not bothering you again, is he?”

“No!” I shouted from my room. “It just hurts to move!”

Jay then opened my door with rigorous force. “Are you alright?!” he asked, concerned. I was mostly dressed at this point.

“I’m fine” I said. “My muscles are just sore is all.”

“Oh… May I help you?”

I just had to button up my shirt, put my wristband on, and put my shoes on. “Sure” I said. Jay buttoned my shirt and put on my shoes.

“Alright, let’s go” said Jay.

“WAIT! You forgot to help me with my wrist band.”

“Huh? Oh yeah. I have seen you with a wristband on. It’s the one on your nightstand, right? Here.” Jay grabbed it, and gently put it on my wrist. “There, now we’re all set to go.”

I took two steps before I cried out in pain. “AGH!”

Jay turned around. “You sure you’re alright?”

“I’M FINE! It’ll just take me a bit…”

Jay gave me one good look and then turned around and hunched over. “Here.”

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like, I’m giving you a piggyback ride.”

I hesitated for a moment. _Should I really do this? Well, it’s better than the alternative._ “…OK” I said. I situated myself on to Jay’s back.

Jay adjusted himself a little bit. “There we go” he said. He began walking. “So, how’d you end up like this?”

I was confused. “The basketball game?”

“…Oh, right… I forget sometimes that everyone is not as capable as me.”

_Come to think of it, it is weird that he can walk and carry me with ease when we were playing the same game._

“Well, just think of it as your first bit of training” he said.

“Training? What training?”

“Training to be strong, like me.”

_Well, he did make a dent in the wall while only barely scratching himself._ “I’m not sure I want that kind of training. I don’t want to feel like this terribly often.”

“Oh, it’ll be fine” he said, like it was no big deal. “Just don’t listen to the doctors when they tell you you can’t do stuff.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, ‘Jay, you shouldn’t be walking. Your fibula is poking out of your leg.’”

“Wha-WHAT?! You shouldn’t be walking! Like, at all! You should be in a wheelchair.”

“That’s EXACTLY what the doctors told me” Jay said. “But I showed them. Now, my fibula is so sturdy that I’d have to jump off a 50 story building and land on my feet for it to burst out.”

“…What kind of training did you go through?”

“I told you, just regular track training. I just wiped out a lot. But I got back on feet and continued.”

“I’m not sure I want to go through that much pain. I’m surprised YOU got through that much pain.”

“Yeah, it hurt a lot. But the feeling of running, and doing my other track exercises, honestly there’s nothing else like it. And losing that would have been even more painful.”

_Oh. That’s how he does it. His dedication to what he loves might seem scary to some, but that’s just what an Ultimate is made of._

“Besides, I was used to it.”

“Wait, how were you used to it?”

We arrived at the dining area. “I’ll tell you after breakfast.” Jay walked in with me on his back. “Hey, Justin was just worn out. Everything’s fine!” Jay walked me to the table and set me down.

I sat down at the table. “Do you need help getting food, good sir?” asked Troy.

“I think I can manage” I said. I struggled to pick up my plate.

“Just, let me handle it” said Elliot taking my plate out of my hands. She put some food on it in a neat way and gave it back to me.

“Thanks” I said.

“Alright, now we can begin” said Cassy.

“What are we talking about?” I asked.

“Yeah, we already know our plan of attack” said Andy.

“Right” said Cassy. “But I still want to solve the mysteries of this situation.”

“Mysteries?” asked Roman.

“Like, why did the Ultimate Killer choose us?” Cassy began. “And why they won’t kill us themselves. Why hide behind Monokuma? And what else are they hiding?”

“Well, I’m not sure about the other questions,” said Pierce, “but doesn’t the Ultimate Killer just not like Hope’s Peak?”

“How did you know that?” I asked. “I only told that to Cassy.”

“Wait, the Ultimate Killer doesn’t like Hope’s Peak?” said Duke. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I could tell from the way they acted” said Pierce. “All of their killings have been related to Hope’s Peak in some way.”

_I forgot. Pierce can understand situations well._

“If you knew that much, it’d be pretty easy to figure it out from there” Pierce continued.

“There has to be more to it than just that” said Cassy. “Why didn’t they set up a bomb then to destroy the whole school?”

“Duh, cause they’d be in it” said Tammy. “Don’t you remember, the Ultimate Killer works at Hope’s Peak?”

“Are you sure about that?” said Rachel. “Maybe the person who works at Hope’s Peak is merely copying the Ultimate Killer, and is just doing some messed up experiment.”

“Impossible” said Monobird. We all turned to look at the entrance. We saw him still in his cage. His cage was moving though. I looked up and saw that there was a railing for Monobird’s cage to move on.

_I guess Monokuma finished it last night._

He moved into the dining area and up to where we were. “The fact the Monokuma is here proves he’s the real deal. Outside of those who investigated the incident, the first appearance of Monokuma was kept secret from the general public.”

I noticed Andy looked nervous. Like he was unsure of Monobird. I wondered why that was. _I think I’ll ask him about it later._

“We’ve gotten off topic” said Cassy. “My original point is, why doesn’t he just kill every student who attends Hope’s Peak?”

“I think that would reveal him” I said. “If they kill everyone they might achieve their goal, but in order to do that, they would need to have the skills to take on hundreds of Ultimates. I doubt that even The Ultimate Killer could do that without revealing themselves. Even by means of poisoning. Someone like Duke could tell in an instant that this was poisoned and then it could be traced easily.”

“You’re not wrong there” said Duke.

“I guess that’s a fair point” said Cassy. “It’s still bugging me though.”

“Well, if we could only find the Ultimate Killer themselves, we could ask them” said Monobird. “But that’s not why I’m here.”

“It’s not?” said Maria.

“No” said Monobird. “While I would like to take part in these daily meetings from now on, the reason I came here is for something different.” He turned to Tammy. “Ms. Sparks. I’m sorry for yesterday.”

Tammy looked at Monobird. “Huh?” she said.

“I didn’t mean to upset you like I did” Monobird continued. “I was just worried about your safety. I’m supposed to be guarding you. I know that doesn’t matter much now, but I still want to protect you anyway I can. If you blew up because of me, I could never forgive myself. I hope that you can forgive me and someday think of me as someone who’s not just like Monokuma.”

Tammy stated at Monobird the whole time, listening to every word he was saying. It seemed like he was genuinely sorry, but would Tammy accept it?

“Wait, when did I say you were just like Monokuma?” said Tammy, confused.

“Uh…Before you ran off you said ‘You’re just like him’” said Monobird. “I thought you were talking about Monokuma.”

“Ohhhhhhh” said Tammy. “I can see why you might have thought that. No, I was talking about my dad.”

“Your dad?” said Monobird.

“Yeah. See, the reason I became good as a technician in the first place was to break him out of prison. When I went over the plans with him, he told me not to do it because I’d be putting myself in danger. When I said I didn’t care about that, he still rejected and asked me not to come back for a while.” Tears were starting to form in her eyes. “Just what am I good for? I have this amazing talent, and yet it feels like I can’t do anything with it. I can’t help my dad. I can’t help us. What can I do?”

Tammy just sat there silently crying. Monobird turned and whispered to me “Say something to her.”

“Me?” I whispered back.

“Yeah” Monobird whispered. “It seems like a serious subject for her, and I don’t think I should be the one to comfort her.”

“You think I should?” I asked back.

“I don’t see why not” said Monobird. “You’re good at this kind of stuff.”

I wanted to debate Monobird, but he was right in a way. Something had to be done. I turned to Tammy and said “Look. I don’t know if I could understand how you feel, but I bet your father does.”

“He does?” she said.

“Well yeah” I said. “I think he believes he’s a good dad, but he can’t do anything to raise you because he’s in prison.”

“But, but that’s why I want to free him” said Tammy. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Well that’s a problem” I said. “If you break him out not only will you get in trouble, he will have done something wrong as well. As a parent, I be he felt like rejecting your offer was the best way to parent you he had in a long time.”

Tammy looked at me. “I didn’t know he felt like that” she said. “I just…I just…WAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” she started crying hard.

“It’s OK” said Sophie, giving her a hug. “We’re all here for you.”

I heard Monobird sniff. “Are you crying?” I asked.

“…No” said Monobird. “There’s just something in my eye.”

“*sniff* It’s OK if you want to cry” said Tammy, bringing her hug with Sophie out to include him. “It’s OK.”

Monobird was shaking for a second, but then he began to cry too. After the hug and the crying ended Monobird said. “OK, I’ll tell you what. Most of our energy is in getting you out, but I promise once that happens, I will look into your dad’s case. How does that sound?”

“*sniff* That sounds good” said Tammy.

“Well, I suppose that that’s enough for now” said Cassy. “Most of us are finished eating anyway. I think we can disperse.”

Just then, everyone got up from the table except me. I then noticed something off. “Wait!” I called out. “Why is everyone else who played in the game moving around fine?”

“Right” said Jay. “Justin has trouble moving right now because he’s so sore from the game. Well, like I told you, I have a high tolerance for pain.”

“I’m also used to games getting a little intense” said Buck. “That’s what happens when you’re the Ultimate Fuckin’ Basketball Player.”

“I too am similarly used to that kind of work out, good sir” said Troy.

“Getting ready for different contests is way harder” said Elliot. “This is nothing for me.”

“I’m a little sore” said May. “BUT after going to parties and dancing with everyone like there was NO TOMORROW makes stuff like this easier to deal with.”

“As a historian,” said Rachel, “I like getting into the heads of the people I’m studying. So I train like they do. I am also similarly adept at archery, swordfighting, fishing, and tennis.”

“What about you Sophie?” I asked.

“…I guess I’m just lucky” she responded.

Figures.

“Hey, you know what” said Jay, “I think I’ll sit with you until you feel like getting up. We can just talk and stuff.”

“That’s a great idea” said Annabelle. “I think I’ll join you for that.”

“I will join you as well, good sir” said Troy.

“I’d be down for that” said May.

“Hey Cassy, why don’t you join us as well?” asked Jay.

“Me?” said Cassy.

“Yeah” said Jay. “It’ll be great to get to know you better.”

“I don’t know” said Cassy.

“Pleeeeeeeeeeeease” said May. “I’ve been want to know more about you since we got here. This seems like the perfect opportunity.”

Cassy looked at me and said “Alright, fine.” She sat down next to me.

“So, where do we start?’ asked Jay.

“How about where we left off?” I said. “Why did you say you were used to the kind of pain you got when you were injured?”

“Oh right. That” said Jay. “First, to catch everyone up, I was hospitalized a lot because my methods of training pushed my limits super hard. Anyway, the reason I felt used to it was because I was bullied a lot in school.”

“Really?” said Annabelle.

“Yeah. No one really liked me. Students, teachers, counselors, everyone at school didn’t like me very much. The only reason I could handle it was because I was doing really well in track. No matter how bad everyone treated me, it didn’t matter as long as I was running. But they bumped up the requirements for me even more, and I had to win to stay on. That’s why I felt like I could handle the pain I felt whenever I wiped out. Because I’ve been dealing with it for so long.”

“I see” said Annabelle. “And why were they bullying you?”

Jay just sat there for a second. “I’d rather not talk about it right now. Don’t get me wrong, we’re all friends here, but I’ve been bullied for so long that it is really hard to talk about with people.”

“That’s fine” said May. “Maybe after we all get out of here, you can share it with us.”

“Maybe” said Jay. “Anyway, I have a question for Justin.” I was concerned. “What’s the deal with that wristband? You were insistent on wearing it, even when you’re in your current state.”

“Oh, that…” I said. I was relieved. _Buck is right, I don’t have anything to worry about._ “Truth is it was a gift from my grandma.”

“So that’s it” said Jay.

“Yeah” I said. “She got it for me when I was young. I had just gotten into a fight with one of my friends and I told them I didn’t want to be friends with them anymore. I was so upset that I had lost one of my friends forever. My grandma saw this and she invited me to come shopping with her. She got me this and said ‘Justin, just remember, life is complicated sometimes. The only thing that is black and white is on your wrist. Anything beyond it is a shade of grey. Sometimes it’s good, and other times it’s not. It’s just important that you don’t lose sight of the good.’ I understood what she meant by that, and after that I apologized to my friend and we made up.”

“That is so beautiful” said May, crying.

“So true” said Troy.

“I feel like I know that style” said Annabelle. “It seems so familiar.”

_Uh-oh. I think I need to change the subject._ “So Troy…”

“What is it, good sir?” he responded.

“I was wondering, why did you draw your sword instantly when Monokuma said they were the Ultimate Killer?” I asked.

Troy stared off in the distance. “The Ultimate Killer killed my master.”

I didn’t know what to say. “I-I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I accept your condolences, good sir” said Troy, uncharacteristically darkly. “As a hero, I vowed never to use my skills to kill. I have made an exception for him and him alone. As long as I breathe, he will not be safe.”

“How…” began Annabelle, “how did your master die? If I may ask.”

“You may, good madam” said Troy. “My master was a man of great skill. Someone as cynical as him still managed to use that skill to help the world. The Ultimate Killer had recently killed a business tycoon who was about to donate money to an orphanage thanks to my master.”

“Wait, I thought your master was a parkour expert, just like you” I said.

“He was, good sir” said Troy. “He promised private shows of his skills in exchange for large sums of money to go to places in need. This was one of those times. My master was different after that. One day he called off training and left me a note, saying he was going to deal with the Ultimate Killer. Had I known better, I could have assisted him. But he wanted to fight alone. They met one night and engaged in combat. And in the end, my master lost. However, I gave him one last hurrah! I started a fundraiser in memory of my master and donated the money I raise to the orphanage anyway.”

“Wait!” said Annabelle. “I definitely remember this story. I reported on it. Yes! Your master was Jack Harkness, right?”

“Yes, that was the name of my master” said Troy.

“Oh yeah, I remember him” said Jay. “He died fighting the Ultimate Killer? You master must have been something else.”

“Thank you, good sir” said Troy.

Cassy looked nervous. “You OK?” I asked.

“Yeah…” said Cassy. “It’s just, that orphanage was the one I lived at for a while.”

“WHAT?!” shouted Troy. “I didn’t know that.”

“Well, I already was adopted by that point,” said Cassy, “but I heard about that from one of my friends who was still there. Still, that’s quite a coincidence.”

“Oh, it was no coincidence at all, good madam” said Troy. “The orphanage’s owner and my master were really good friends. They went to school together.”

“Where did they go to school?” asked Cassy.

“Oddly enough, good madam,” Troy said, “they went to school at Hope’s Peak. Back in his day, my master was the Ultimate Parkour Artist, and the owner of the orphanage was the Ultimate Child Caregiver.”

“I see” said Cassy.

“Wait, Annabelle” I said. “Why was your school reporting on a killing by the Ultimate Killer?”

“Oh, it wasn’t” said Annabelle. “I was working for a local newspaper by that time. I helped my school newspaper whenever I could, but I was a little more focused on being part of a bigger paper.”

“I see” I said. “How did you get that job at the local paper?”

Annabelle was stunned. “The one question I didn’t answer in my previous answer” she answer. “Fine. I got the job after I reported on a scandal at the paper itself. The chief editor at the time was using his position to benefit him and his allies when they ran for public office. They distorted the truth to get people to vote for them. That scheme lasted a while, but eventually I found a loose thread, and I followed it straight to the top. The new chief hired me straight on after that, as a sort of watchdog.”

“It sounds like you weren’t completely one of the team” I said.

“You clever bastard” said Annabelle. “That is such a good technique, and one that I find under utilized. It’s simple, yet effective. Anyway, yes I wasn’t really one of the team. I was still friendly with them, and for the most part they were friendly with me, but they always kept their distance.”

“I see” I said.

“One of these days, I’m going to out-interview you Justin” said Annabelle. “Just you wait.”

“So, you were in an orphanage, Cassy?” said May.

“Yes” said Cassy.

“What was that like?” asked May.

“It was fine” said Cassy. “About as good as living in an orphanage could get. I made a lot of friends there. Surprisingly, a lot of them were also going to Hope’s Peak. I was excited to see them again, but now this happened.”

“Again, good, madam, it is not surprising” said Troy. “Mike, who runs the orphanage, is really good at bringing out children’s natural talents. A lot of orphans who went there often get a second chance at a better life by being accepted into Hope’s Peak.”

“Really?” said Cassy. “I didn’t know that. Although, come to think of it, it wasn’t until a year after I was living at the orphanage that I finally solved my parent’s murder. I guess it was thanks to Mr. Mike. I should thank him when we get out.”

“Your parents were murdered?” I said.

“Yes” Cassy replied. “By the maid. She murdered them because she felt like she should have been gotten paid more. However, because my parents were business magnates, the maid used that to frame some of my parent’s business partners. One night, I looked through the evidence again, and then suddenly everything clicked. Mr. Mike and I reported it to the police the next morning. After an arrest, a trial, and some paperwork, which took a while, my parent’s business partners were freed, and then they adopted me.”

“Uh huh” said Annabelle. “Wait…do you mean to tell me that your ‘Williams’ and the Stateman and Williams ‘Williams’ are the same?”

“I guess I do” said Cassy, looking distraught. “I don’t really like talking about that aspect of my family though.”

“And your birth parents were the Statemans?” asked Annabelle.

“Y-yes” said Cassy.

“Aren’t they the really big real-estate developers?” I asked.

“Yes, well,” said Cassy, “they are. I’m not. My brother Richard is taking over the entire business. I’m just doing detective work.”

“Why didn’t you tell us this sooner?” asked May.

“Well, because” said Cassy, with her face all red, “I didn’t want you to think I got in here because I paid my way in here. Rich family or not, I’m still a damn good detective, and I will smack you across the face if you suggest otherwise.”

“No, I believe you” said May. “Us orphans have to stick together.”

“You’re an orphan too?” asked Jay.

“Yup” said May. “Although, my story isn’t as grand as Cassy’s. My parents just died in a car crash. I was so distraught for so long. I didn’t know how to compose myself, and got really upset at the slightest thing. Eventually, Julie, my caretaker, gave me a CD. It was full of songs that reflected on how I was feeling and how to deal with those emotions. It was perfect. Little by little, I learned to accept my parent’s death, and pretty soon I was adopted by my new parents.”

“So that’s where your DJ styling comes from” I said.

“Yup again!” said May. “Understanding the feeling of people is important because music can express ideas you can’t. It can change your life. And everyone can understand music, whether it’s happy or sad.”

“That is so beautiful, good madam” said Troy.

We continued to talk until about lunch time. I barely moved, but I felt like I could move a bit more after we talked for a while. Other people came in to grab lunch and we started eating as well. During lunch I remembered something. “Oh yeah, the Monocoins. We should have gotten some this morning” I said.

“We did” said Jay. “I saw yours, but I didn’t think it was that important to you since you could barely move this morning.”

“Fair enough” I said. “I think I’ll go get them after lunch. I want to see just what Monokuma is selling.”

We finished eating and I headed up to my room. “You still need help?” asked Jay.

“Nah, I think I‘m good” I said. I went straight to my room. I saw the Monocoins on my dresser. _Wow, I must have really been in pain if I didn’t notice that._ I grabbed them. For a coin currency, they were surprisingly light and easy to manage. I went back downstairs and to the Monokuma Shopping District.

I first went to the Monokuma Mart. “How can I help you?” said Monokuma, popping up from behind the counter.

“What are you selling?” I asked.

“Have a look yourself” said Monokuma.

_We’re in his little game, the least he could do is help us play it a bit._ I looked at the items on sale. On the cheaper end was stuff like knives, bats, axes, and other things useful for murder. Anything that wasn’t useful for murder was well over 100 Monocoins. I could save up and buy them, but why bother since we’ll be escaping soon enough anyway.

“I’m not really interested in anything I can afford” I said.

“Then you shouldn’t have asked” replied Monokuma.

“How was I supposed to know what everything here cost?” I asked.

“I’m a busy bear, how should I know?” he responded, and then left again.

“I don’t even know why I bother with him” I said. “He’s just annoying.” I turned my attention to the Monomono Machine. “Might as well test my luck.” I put some coins into the machine and got a bunch of different trinkets and stuff. Among them was a relaxation CD. “This seems different. The description given with this is ‘A CD that demonstrates the basic principles of relaxation. It’s useful if you don’t know how to relax.’ …I think I could use this later.”

I left the Monokuma Shopping District. I headed straight to the art room. There was something I needed to do. I looked, and sure enough, the usual suspects were all here. Roman was looking over his statue, Maria was still working on her tapestry, Tammy was sitting there, thinking of ideas, and Pierce and Andy were a the drawing table. Andy looked intent on drawing something.

I pressed onward anyway “Andy” I called out.

“GAH!” he responded. “Um, what is it?”

“I need to talk to you about something” I said. “Do you have a minute?”

“Yeah” said Andy. “I can’t get this drawing off the ground anyway.” He got off his stool. “What do you need?”

“I noticed this morning you were incredibly nervous when we were discussing the Ultimate Killer” I said. “More nervous than usual. What was the reason for that?”

“Oh. That” said Andy. “Well, to tell you the truth, I sort of have a theory about who the Ultimate Killer is.”

“WHAT?!” I said. “Who?!”

Andy got incredibly nervous. “The thing is, I’m not 100% sure about this. And I want to be wrong about it, but everything about my idea makes sense” he said. “I don’t want to say anything unless I’m absolutely sure.”

_I think he thinks it’s someone close to him._ “I get it” I told him.

“You do?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. Thanks for understanding. It’s not that I don’t want to stop the Ultimate Killer, it’s just that I don’t want to be wrong.”

“Seem natural for your talent.”

“I guess it does. Anyway, I should get back to seeing if I can draw this picture I want to draw.” He went back to the desk he’s been at since we got here.

I heard Maria sigh. “I need a break” she said.

“Is something the matter?” I turned to ask her.

“Yeah” she said. “Normally something like this would be nothing, but just living with Monokuma in this situation has thrown off my creative spirit. What I need to a way to relax.”

_A way to relax, huh? Wait, I think I have just the thing._ “You mean, something like this?” I said, pulling the relaxation CD out.

Maria was shocked. “Where did you get that?” she asked.

“I got it from the Monomono Machine at the end of the hall” I responded. “Were you looking for something else?”

“No, this is perfect” said Maria. “I have the entire series of these CDs. Roman and I use these all the time to relax.”

“This is a series?” I asked.

“Yes. In fact, the day before coming to Hope’s Peak, I had just received volume 78” she said.

_There are 78 of these?_

“Alright, it’s settled” she said. “I’m going to host a relaxation group. You’ll be there right? The CD is yours after all.”

“Uh, sure” I said.

“Great. Meet me in the gym in an hour or so” she said. She then left the art room.

“Well, I guess she’s an expert on relaxing. So, I guess we’re in good hands” I said to myself.

I left the art room soon after and then ran into Cassy. “Ah, perfect timing” she said. “I need your help.”

“Oh? What with?” I asked.

“How many Monocoins do you have?” she asked.

“I think I have about 80 or so.”

“Great” she said, grabbing my hand. “Come with me.”

She rushed me down the hall to the Monokuma Shopping District. “What are we doing here?” I asked.

“I need some help buying something” she said.

“Buying what?”

She pointed me toward the Monokuma Mart. “See that camera? I want it.”

I looked at the price tag, and it required 150 Monocoins. “I can’t give you 75 Monocoins for that.”

“I just need 50” she said. “Please. If something comes up, I need to take pictures to analyze the situation.”

I looked at her being desperate for a moment. “Well, I guess I could help you with that then.”

“YAY! Thank you so much. Excuse me?”

“What do you want?” said Monokuma from behind the counter. “I told you not to come back here until you had the money.”

“And I do” said Cassy. “Justin is helping me pay for it.”

“Oh. I see” said Monokuma. “I’ll allow it.”

“Really?” I asked. “You’re not going to put up a fight?”

“Well,  didn’t want this to happen, but I forgot to add it to the rules” said Monokuma. “I’m feeling a bit lazy, so I’m not going to add it to the rules. You can take your damn camera.”

“Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou” said Cassy excitedly, as we gave Monokuma our collective 150 Monocoins. Monokuma handed over the camera. “Now, time to test this bad boy out.” She put her arm around me and said “Smile.” She took a picture while I was still wondering what’s going on. She looked at the picture on her camera. “You didn’t smile” she said. “Oh well it looks better this way. Unless you wanna try again.”

I wasn’t sure what to do, so I said “Sure.” We posed the same again, and this time, I smiled along with her.

She looked at the new picture. “I was wrong, you look great in this photo smiling. Anyway, thanks for helping me buy this.”

“No problem” I said.

“You know, the picture quality is top notch” she said. “I think I might use this as my permanent camera for cases from now on. Anyway, later” she said, walking away.

I stared off as she was leaving. “I don’t get her” I said. “At times, she’s calm and collected. At other times, she’s more lively than a lightning bolt. It’s hard to pin her down.”

“Women, am I right?” said Monokuma.

“What are you still doing here?” I asked.

“I run this shop” he said. “Got a problem with that?”

I just sighed. It doesn’t matter what I say, Monokuma will just do as he pleases. “Oh right” I said. “Maria’s relaxation thing. I should go to see how that’s coming along.” I rushed over to the gym.

When I entered, I saw Maria finishing setting up. “Ah Justin, you’re just in time” she said. “That sounds weird, how your name and the adverb of the sentence sound alike.”

“Well, as long as you didn’t do on purpose to laugh at me, you’re better than most people” I said.

“Has that happened a lot?” she asked.

“All the time” I responded.

“Well, anyway, I hope you’re ready to relax. I know everyone else is” she said.

“What?” I said.

“I’m so glad you have a CD of this” said Roman. “I was beginning to miss this. What are we on, 78?”

“Actually, sweetie, Justin has the first CD” Maria said. “So, we’re doing a back to basics course.”

“Oh” said Roman. “OK. I can get behind it. You need to relearn the basics of art every once in a while. Relaxing can be the same.”

“I’m down for this too” said May. “I’m excited to see what relaxation tunes sound like. Maybe I can incorporate this on my playlist, if the situation calls for it.”

“Is it alright that I invited some other people?” asked Maria.

“I guess…” I said.

“Good. More should be coming soon” said Maria.

Just then, Pierce, Andy, and Tammy walked in. “Ready for this?” asked Pierce.

“I guess so” said Andy.

“I know I could sure use it” said Tammy.

“We’re waiting of two more people” said Maria.

Sophie and Rachel walked in soon after. “This’ll be fun” said Sophie.

“I sure hope so” said Rachel. “I’ve been to plenty of relaxation courses before, and none of them did me well.”

“Great, now that we’re all here, let’ begin” said Maria. “Justin, if you’ll do the honors.”

“Oh, right” I said. I put the CD in the player.

“So, how does this work?” asked Tammy.

“Well, we being by sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, and holding our hands up like this” said Maria, making a circle with her thumb and index finger while holding up the other three. “And then we just see where the CD takes us.”

We all assumed the position and Maria pressed play on the player. The music was really relaxing. It was so relaxing that I started to break out of my position and just relax. Everyone’s eyes were closed, how would they know? I got lulled into a trance and soon found myself imagining I was walking on air. I never thought I would feel so free before.

When the CD ended, Maria stopped the player and said “OK, now open your eyes.” When I opened them, I was staring at the ceiling. I got up and saw that no one maintained the original position.

“I don’t get it, why did we start in that position if we were going to end up like this?” Tammy asked.

“Because this series prioritizes a relaxation method that fits you” said Maria. “That position might seem relaxing, but once you get to really relaxing, everyone has a different version of it. It’s up to you to know how to display it.”

“Oh” said Tammy. “That’s so cool!”

“Wow” said Andy. “This is the most relaxed I’ve been in a long time.”

“And you didn’t want to come” said Pierce. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“So, how did you like it Rachel?” asked Sophie.

“…I had fun” said Rachel, smiling.

“Wow” said May. “That’s on a whole new level. I’m definitely using this if a party needs to be relaxed.”

“Man, that was great” said Roman. “Back to basics is amazing!”

“You’ll notify me if you get any more of those CDs, won’t you Justin?” asked Maria.

“Of course” I said. Reflecting on it, this was really fun, and incredibly relaxing.

“Well, I gotta get back to my tapestry” said Maria.

“Oh, right, seeya” I said. Maria left the gym.

I went to grab dinner. Dinner was very uneventful. Most people who were they just sat and ate, and I was no exception. Today was another full day.

I decided to go back to my room and just hang out until I fell asleep. Fate had other plans for me though. At 10 o’clock, Monokuma’s announcement came on as usual. “Attention students. It is now 10 pm. Night time. However, I have something planned for tonight, so don’t fall asleep just yet.”

_Something planned? This can only be bad._

“Please meet me in the gym at 11:45. I have an announcement to make at midnight. Attendance is mandatory. Anyone who doesn’t show up will be killed. See you there!” Monokuma ended the announcement like that.

“What could he possibly want?” I wondered. I waited it out in my room. Finally, it was about 11:30. I decided to head out to the gym then. I saw Jay passing by as I was leaving. “Oh, Justin” he said. “What do you suppose Monokuma wants?”

“I don’t know, but I’m assuming nothing good” I said.

“I know, but if we don’t want to die. We have to hear him out” he responded. “By the way, are you feeling better?”

“Yeah” I said. “Although I should avoid strenuous activity like that for a while.”

“Just sayin’, it’s not too late to become resilient like me” said Jay.

“I think I’ll pass” I said. We went to the gym. We were the first to arrive. One by one, everyone made it.

“Well, it’s 11:45” said Duke. “Where is that stupid bear?”

“He said his announcement was at midnight” said Cassy. “I think he just wants us stirring for a while.”

“Well, get on with it” said Duke. “We don’t have all night.”

“Um, technically we do” said Andy. “We’re kind of stuck here.”

“I’m with Duke, get on with it” said Elliot.

“Yeah get on with it” said Roman.

“Oh, I am enjoying this scene” said Monokuma, nowhere to be found.

“GET ON WITH IT” shouted Buck.

“Very well” said Monokuma’s voice. He appeared soon after. “Thank you everyone for showing up to my special announcement!” he said.

“What do you want, foul villain?” asked Troy.

“Well, to be honest, I’m a little sad” said Monokuma.

“You called us here because you’re sad?!” I shouted.

“Yeah” said Monokuma. “I spent all this time setting up this game, and no one wants to play it. That makes me a very sad bear.”

“Well, we don’t care” said Pierce. “Your game involves us killing each other. Cry me a river, why don’tcha?”

“Yeah, for all we care, you can drown in your tears, you heartless bastard” said Annabelle.

“Oh, you will care” said Monokuma. “Because I’m going to make you care.”

_This is just as I feared. Monokuma has some incentive to force us to kill._

A comically large countdown clock appeared behind Monokuma. “You see, when this clock starts at midnight, there will be a 48 hour timer. Once the timer reaches zero, if one of you hasn’t killed one of your classmates, I’m going to kill alllllllll your parents. And the clock. Starts. NOW!” Just then, Monokuma’s clock lit up with a big 48 on it.

“WHAT?!” said Andy.

“This can’t be!” shouted Tammy.

Cassy was shaking. “You wouldn’t” she said.

“Oh, but I would” said Monokuma. “And will, if the game doesn’t start up soon. So, COME ON! GET KILLING!”

“FUCK YOU!” shouted Buck.

“Wait, this doesn’t make sense” I said. “You won’t kill us, but you’ll kill our parents just like that?”

“That about sums it up” said Monokuma.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I want you to play my GAME!” shouted Monokuma. “The sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll pick up a hammer and bash someone’s head in!”

“But-” I shouted.

“It’s no use, arguing with him” said Cassy. “He’s just going to do what he wants to get his way. He’ll never give you a straight answer on this.”

“Listen to her” said Monokuma. “Just accept the killing life you’re living. Become the killer you know you are. Swim deep in the ocean of death and become a stronger person.”

“Although, I am wondering where did you get the idea for this motive?” Cassy asked.

“Oh?” said Monokuma. “I got it from one of my most recent killings. I tweaked the idea a bit to apply to parents though.”

_What does he mean by that?_

“Oh yeah, speaking of…” he said, looking at me. “Justin, how WAS your grandfather’s funeral?”

I was shocked. “That was YOU?!” I screamed.

“GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Yes, it was indeed I!” laughed Monokuma. “Well, I’ve wasted enough of your time. After all, you only have 47 hours and 52 minutes now. So, if you want to save your parents, then start killing!” he said, disappearing to wherever he goes.

I was still in shock. The Ultimate Killer killed my grandpa? I couldn’t believe it. I was so enraged I didn’t know what to do.

“Are you alright?” asked Cassy.

“Yeah” said Jay. “Do you want some help getting back?”

“I’m fine” I said. “I mean, I’m not fine, obviously, but I’m fine enough to get back.”

“Well, if you ever need anything, you know I’m here for you” said Jay.

“The same goes for all of us” said Cassy.

“Thanks” I said. I moped back to my room. I couldn’t believe it. An ultimatum. Kill someone or everyone’s parents die. Is there no boundary he’s willing to cross to get us to kill someone? To make us stoop to his level?

And now there’s the matter of him being my grandpa’s killer. Just what kind of monster is this person? What could be hiding behind his mask? What made him so hateful that he began killing like it was nothing? I pondered all of this, and more as I laid in my bed I fell asleep eventually, but it was very uneasy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The motive has been presented. It's only a matter of time before a murder occurs, so says Monokuma. Personally, I think it's an interesting motive because their parents influenced them one way or another, and I am going love exploring what that means for everyone in a future part. Until then, all we can do is wait.


	8. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 1: A Smiling Face Betrays the Truth (Part 3)

I woke up again feeling heavy. This time due to Monokuma’s motive. It still confused the heck out of me. He is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, who wants us dead. That is dangerous. I put on my clothes and headed to the dining area for the meeting for the first time without needing someone to stop me on my way.

When I got there, everyone was nervous. I couldn’t blame them. “What do we do?” asked Maria.

“Well, we at least have some time to think things through” said Cassy.

“Like that would help” said Elliot.

“It might” said Duke. “You don’t know.”

“How would it help?” asked Elliot. “There’s no good way out of this situation. Either one of us murders someone, or all of our parents are killed.

“Well…yeah…” said Duke. “I guess you’re right.”

“Not necessarily” said Cassy. “Monobird, you’re still on the outside, right?”

“Well, technically, yes” said Monobird.

“Great. I have an idea” said Cassy. “I want you to assign officers to protect our parents.”

Everyone was in shock. I guess when you’re trapped in here, the easy solution can seem impossible. After all, there’s no easy way out of this makeshift prison.

“Of course we’re doing that” said Monobird.

Cassy took a deep breath. “There’s something else I want you to do” she said.

“What is that?” asked Monobird.

Cassy looked frightened, but knew to press forward. “Could you…could you ask what our parents feel about this motive and report back to us?”

“WHAT?!” shouted May.

“Are you crazy?” asked Rachel.

“WHAT KIND OF FUCKIN’ QUESTION IS THAT?!” asked Buck.

“I know!” said Cassy. “I know.” They were right. She knew that. Asking that question of them is asking them if they were willing to die for us. While it seems like a lot of our parents told us that growing up, it’s another thing to put it to the test. “I don’t like this either” said Cassy. “But I hate playing into Monokuma’s game. I hate seeing him win. I hate seeing him use us like puppets on a string. We have to try to fight him. So, will you allow me to make this request so that the Ultimate Killer can be stopped for good?”

Everyone at the table knew the consequences of the request. It was a difficult choice that no one wanted to make. “Let me be the first to say I shall allow this request, good madam” said Troy. “But, I propose this: We reconvene once Monobird has asked all of our parents. If the answer ‘yes,’ then we shall respect their wishes and bare the burden of their deaths on us. If they answer ‘no,’ then I shall offer myself as a sacrificial lamb. No one else should have to suffer because of us.”

“I agree to those terms, good sir” said Cassy. Troy looked a little embarrassed to be called what he formally called everyone else. “Are there any objections from anyone else?” The whole table was silent with agreement. “Then it is settled. We shall reconvene at the request of Monobird. Once he gives us the results of his finding, we discuss our terms.”

“Hold on” said Pierce.

“What is it?” asked Cassy.

“I don’t necessarily have any objections,” he began, “But I would like to point out two things. One: I am currently without parents. I just wanted to point that out so Monobird doesn’t waste his time trying to look for them only to find them in some cemetery somewhere.  Two: I am willing to also be a ‘sacrificial lamb.’ And since, this is a murder game, if Troy will allow me, I will play the role of murderer for him. I know how to achieve a quick and painless death, so you won’t feel a thing.”

“Not necessary, good sir” said Troy.”Monokuma has placed no rules against suicide. I shall end my own life for the sake of all of you.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then I’ll be the one to kill myself” said Pierce.

“Again, not necessary, good sir” said Troy. “I have already promised.”

“No, I insist” said Pierce.

“No, I shall do it, good sir” said Troy.

“No, let me” said Pierce.

“ENOUGH!” I shouted. “We will figure out who’s killing themselves at our next meeting if it comes to it. I don’t want to talk about this possibility any further, unless we know FOR SURE that we’re going through with it.”

Pierce and Troy looked at me. “He is right” said Pierce. “Maybe it won’t come to that.”

“Also, let’s not forget, that there will be officers guarding our parents” said Cassy. “It is possible that the Ultimate Killer will not be able to reach them.”

“Right” said Troy. “I’m sorry for bringing up the possibility. I hope one day you will all forgive me.”

“Of course” said Cassy. “Monobird, will it take you more than the time limit to receive an answer from everyone?”

“No” said Monobird. “With any luck, we should have everyone’s answer by the end of the day today.”

“Then it is settled” said Cassy. “We shall meet when Monobird comes back with our answer. Until then, I suggest we just try to live as we have been.”

Everyone at the table was somber. They knew what they had to do, but none of them liked it. “Right then,” said Jay, “let’s just wait on our parents.”

One by one everyone left the table. Eventually it was just me and Cassy. I was about to leave, but Cassy said “Hold it! I actually want to talk to you. Could we please head to my room for a little bit?”

“Uh, sure” I said. I didn’t know what this was about, but it seemed important. We headed up to her room. We sat down, facing each other. “So, what’s this about?”

“I want to talk about your grandfather’s death at the hands of the Ultimate Killer” said Cassy. “Is that alright?”

_So that’s it._ “Sure” I said. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, I would like to know the circumstances of his death” she said.

“OK, well, my grandpa was a cautious man, so he had a surveillance camera in his home. It captured the killer, who I know now to be the Ultimate Killer, breaking into his home and the fight the lead to his death, but…”

“‘But’ what?”

“There was something weird.”

“What was it?”

“Well, between the entry and the struggle, the camera shut off for about 20 minutes at the will of my grandfather.”

“I see” said Cassy. “WAIT!” She pushed me out of the way and dug through her desk drawer. She pulled out a case file.

“Where did you get that?!”

“I brought it with me” she said. “I had it under my hoodie.”

_She’s saying that like it’s a common occurrence._

“More importantly,” she said, pulling out a photo, “is this your grandfather?”

She was holding a picture of my grandpa. “Yes” I said.

“Great Scott! Your grandpa was Jacob Westwood? Perhaps the greatest headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy to ever live?”

“Yeah” I said, dejected. “So, I guess now you know.”

“Know what?” she asked.

I had come to terms with it already, but saying it aloud was another thing. I didn’t want to let anyone down, but the truth is the truth. “That the only reason I got accepted was because my grandfather holds a lot of power at Hope’s Peak. I know I could never live up to your greatness, but I did my best to try and fit in. I hope you can forgive me.”

Cassy just stared at me. “What are you, stupid?” she said. “Jacob Westwood doesn’t let just anyone into Hope’s Peak Academy. If he selected you, then there’s no doubt you belong here.”

“I don’t know…”

“It’s true. Listen, were your parents accepted into Hope’s Peak?”

“…They were not.”

“Then why do you think he would allow you in without a reason? He was serious when it came to matters of Hope’s Peak!”

I sighed. “Of course he was” I said. “Why should I be any different?”

“I like the words, but you seem to be annoyed.”

“It’s just that he was almost too focused on Hope’s Peak. Like, I loved him, but come on grandpa, can we go one place and not find someone to send to Hope’s Peak? I just want to spend time with you without you getting interrupted by work. Is that so much to ask?”

“I see…”

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to believe he cared about me as much as he cared about the academy. I thought I was special, but I guess I was just another of my grandpa’s projects.”

“…He cared about you” said Cassy.

“What?”

“He cared about you. He told me stories of you when he was recruiting me. He even said that he was recruiting me to get you in.”

“Wait, why?”

“Well, you see, I wasn’t Hope’s Peak’s first choice to be Ultimate Detective. They had someone else first, but your grandpa did some scouting of his own. He told me that he was asked to look into their selections because was very passionate about getting you in. He saw my detective skills as a better fit for the title of Ultimate, and I got accepted.”

“That’s weird.”

“What is?”

“Roman and Maria had similar stories. They both said that they were originally not accepted into Hope’s Peak, but someone interfered and they got accepted.”

“WHAT?!” said Cassy. “We may have something big here. This cannot be a coincidence. We need to interview everyone to see if we found a connection. Let’s go!”

“WAIT! Before we go, can I ask why you have my grandfather’s case file with you?”

“Oh, right” said Cassy. “I originally wanted to work on the mystery and put off going to Hope’s Peak until the murder was solved. However, he left a note behind saying that he would rather that I work on his case from Hope’s Peak. Get this, he actually let the guy I replace investigate his death full-time. Can you believe that?”

“Yeah, actually. I can”

“What? How?”

“Because I know my grandpa. He believes that you can actually solve his murder better from Hope’s Peak. He knows how to plan ahead. One time, he asked an Ultimate Pilot to delay his worldwide trip by a week, so that he can catch a criminal that he was chasing jumping out of a window. If he sent you off, it’s because he knows you can actually solve the mystery within Hope’s Peak.”

“…And you thought he was just letting you in because you’re his grandson. Sometimes Justin, you really know your stuff.”

“If only I knew my talent.”

“Anyway, we have questions we need to ask. So, let’s a get a move on!” She took my hand and we bolted out the door. “First, let’s see who’s in their rooms.” We knocked on rooms in the girls hall. Cassy took her side, I took the opposite side. “Hey Justin, Rachel’s in” she called out.

I went over to Rachel’s room. She and Sophie were inside. “Oh hello” said Sophie. “Nice to see ya.”

“What are you both doing here?” asked Rachel.

“We’re investigating” said Cassy. “We may have just made a breakthrough.” She pulled out my grandpa’s picture. “Do either of you recognize this man?”

“Why yes” said Sophie. “He was the one who recruited me to Hope’s Peak.”

Rachel looked stunned. “You too?”

“Yeah” said Sophie. “He actually sent me over someone else who was given the title of Ultimate Good Luck.”

“But, that seems almost absurd” said Cassy. “How can someone know someone is luckier than someone else?”

“You’ve met my grandpa before, right?” I said. “He was the Ultimate Perceiver.”

“But luck isn’t something that should be perceived” said Cassy.

“You’d think that, but my grandpa had a knack for perceiving things that most people couldn’t. Even luck” I said.

“Wait, that man was your grandfather?” asked Rachel.

“Oh, uh, yeah” I said.

“So, YOU’RE the grandson he was talking about” Rachel said.

“He told you that?” I asked.

“Yeah” said Rachel. “To be completely honest, I too was selected by your grandfather over someone else for the title of Ultimate Historian. He said he was trying to prove to the board of Hope’s Peak that he still had it in him. He wanted his grandson to attend Hope’s Peak because he had a lot of talent. I guess that was you.”

“I see” I said.

“He told me something similar” said Sophie. “And I was equally confused about how someone tested something as random as luck. He tested it in an extreme way. He wanted the both of us to cross a busy street slowly, saying that our luck would save us.”

“That’s my grandpa” I said.

“How did the test go?” Cassy asked.

“Well, the other person made it just fine. I fell into a sewer hole though” said Sophie. “Although, apparently, a huge truck was about to hit me, so I fell at just the right time. He said that that proved I had better luck.”

“I was similarly tested” said Rachel. “I had to recreate the conditions of a historical event on set, with barely any information available to me. My competitor was close, but he missed one key detail that was the focal point of the entire event.”

“I see” said Cassy. “Well, thanks for talking to us.”

“No problem” said Sophie.

“It was our pleasure” said Rachel.

We left and continued knocking on doors. We didn’t find any other girls in their room. “Let’s try the boy’s side next” said Cassy. We went over to the boy’s side. No one was in their rooms either. I met back up with Cassy, and she was thinking. “What should we do next?” she asked.

“Well, I suggest going to the art room” I aid. “Roman and Maria were our first leads. We should ask them to confirm whether or not my grandfather recruited them.”

“That’s a great idea” said Cassy. “Let’s go.” We headed down the stairs and into the art room. Sure enough, Roman, Maria, Tammy, Pierce, and Andy were in here. We approached Maria and Roman. “Hello” said Cassy. “We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“What about?” asked Roman.

“About what you were telling me earlier about being accepted over someone else” I said.

“Oh” said Maria. “Fire away.”

Cassy pulled the picture out again. “Was this the man who recruited you?” she asked.

“Yes” said Roman.

“Yes” said Maria.

“Just as I thought” said Cassy.

“But how do YOU know him?” asked Roman.

“He recruited me as well over someone else” said Cassy.

“And he’s my grandfather” I said.

“WHAT?!” asked Maria. “The one who the Ultimate Killer killed?”

“Yeah” I said.

“It’ll be OK” she said, hugging me. “You feeling better?”

“I guess” I said. “It’s hard to tell in a situation like this. On top of finding out who killed my grandpa, we also have been given a time limit on our parent’s lives. It’s a lot to deal with.”

“Anyway,” said Cassy, “we think we may be onto something. Thank you for your help.”

“Oh, sure” said Roman.

“No problem” said Maria.

We made our way to Tammy. “Hey Tammy” said Cassy.

“Hey Cassy. Hey Justin” she said. “What’s up?”

“We’re conducting an investigation” she said. “Do you recognize this man?”

“YES!” she said. “He got me into Hope’s Peak!”

“Was anyone else slotted to be the Ultimate Technician before you got accepted?”

“YES!” she shouted again. “It was the kid who designed the security system of my dad’s prison. I met that man when my dad told me I couldn’t break him out. He asked me why I was so down and I explained what happened. Then, that jerk said no one could infiltrate his security system. I started yelling at him, but that man decided to test it instead. Of course, I easily disrupted his systems. That jerk of a kid asked if I could do better, and I did. He was in disarray. Then, that nice man said I could have his invitation to Hope’s Peak as the Ultimate Technician. But, why are you asking about this?”

“We’ve been noticing a pattern here” said Cassy. “Your story lines up with it. Like you, I was also accepted by this man over someone else.”

“I see” said Tammy. “What about Justin?”

“My circumstances are a little different” I said.

“You see, this man was trying to prove to Hope’s Peak’s board of directors that he should be let in with an unknown talent. So the board asked him to investigate their choices and see if he could do better.”

“Also, this man was my grandfather” I said.

“I see” said Tammy. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you” I said.

“And thank you for taking some time out to talk to us” said Cassy.

“No problem” said Tammy.

We headed over towards Pierce and Andy. Andy was diligently working on something. “IT’S NO USE!” Andy called out. “I just can’t get it right.”

“You’ll get it” said Pierce. “It doesn’t have to be perfect.”

“But-But-” said Andy distraught.

“It’ll be alright” said Pierce. “Let’s take a little break. It appears that Cassy and Justin are here to talk to us.”

_He wasn’t even looking at us. I don’t care if he explained it, it’s still unsettling._ “Yes” I said.

“Damn Pierce, always giving me the willies like that” said Cassy under her breath.

“Don’t think I didn’t hear that” said Pierce, turning around. “It’s fine though. A lot of people fear what they can’t understand. Usually though, I just try to understand it.”

Cassy looked shocked. “Anyway,” she held up my grandpa’s picture, “do either of you know this man?”

“YES!” said Andy, looking away from his work desk. “His name is Jacob Westwood. He was the Ultimate Perceiver, and the 27th headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy.”

_Andy is really putting his skill to use with this._

“He was married to Penelope Goldman, the Ultimate Writer of her time. They had one daughter, who did not attend Hope’s Peak, and in turn she had a son, who headmaster Westwood said would be attending Hope’s Peak, so long as he knows what he’s doing.”

_It’s frightening that he knows that much about my family._

“Well, he did” said Cassy. “Because his grandson is right here” she said, pointing to me.

“WHAT?!” said Andy. “Of course, I should have known. You both have the same aura. I thought it was just a coincidence though.”

“Aura?” I asked.

“Yeah” said Andy. “Aura. It’s a distinctive atmosphere that surrounds people. Most people don’t believe it, but being able to read someone’s aura is really helpful in trivia.”

“How so?” I asked.

“Well, it gives you a sense of who you’re up against” said Andy. “Of course, while I can read people’s aura, I’m not the best at it. I can only get an aura off of people with a strong will. And even then, it can get muddied.”

“How?” I asked again.

“Well, let’s look at this situation” said Andy. “We’re all Ultimates here, so all of us have a strong will. However, it is somewhat tainted by Monokuma and him forcing us to kill each other. In a straight up trivia contest, I can tell how a person is thinking in the heat of the moment, but in this situation I can only get a vibe of what a person is like, which might not be as helpful.”

“I see” I said.

“ENOUGH ABOUT AURAS AND SHIT!” shouted Cassy, panicked.

“Whoa, looks like someone’s scared” said Pierce.

“I’m not scared” she said, clearly lying. “I just want to get back to business. Andy, you said that Mr. Westwood said something to you, correct?”

“Um, yes” said Andy.

“So, that means you met with him then, correct?” asked Cassy.

“…Yes” said Andy.

“Can you tell us about the meeting?” she asked.

“Um, sure…” said Andy. “He was scouting out some selections that Hope’ Peak had made in terms of who will attend. He came to my usual trivia game. I noticed him before the game began and I approached him. He asked to talk after the game, so I went back to my table. After the game, which I won, but just barely, I approached him again. He told me that the school had accepted my rival, Kirk Wright. Apparently, Headmaster Westwood came here to watch him. This was his third night observing him but after watching me play, he said Hope’s Peak would benefit from having someone like me.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Really?” asked Cassy.

“It’s because, while Kirk is good at trivia, he’s a sore loser” said Andy. “He only plays trivia to win. I play because it’s fun.”

“I see” I said.

“And he mentioned something about getting Justin in?” said Cassy.

“Oh, right!” said Andy. “He said he was looking over some profiles the school board gave him. He said he approached them to get his grandson in. The board thought it was nepotism, so Headmaster Westwood accepted a challenge from them: ‘Look over these candidates and tell us if we can do better. If we can, you still have it, and your grandson can join Hope’s Peak.’”

“So, do you think it’s nepotism?” I asked. Cassy elbowed me. “Ow.”

“Not at all” said Andy. “I can tell from your aura that you are indeed someone with an Ultimate Talent.”

“Can we just move on to Pierce?” asked Cassy.

“Oh, uh, sure” said Andy, regaining some of his nervousness.

“So, why don’t you like this ‘aura’ talk?” asked Pierce.

“I am a firm believer in science” said Cassy. “There’s no evidence for something like ‘aura’ to exist. MORE IMPORTANTLY, Pierce, do you have a story related to Mr. Westwood?”

“Of course” said Pierce. “Like, Andy, he’s the one who sent me to Hope’s Peak.”

“And did you replace anyone?” asked Cassy.

“I guess” said Pierce.

“You guess?!” I asked.

“Well, when we were talking, he didn’t mention anyone else who was coming here with my title” said Pierce. “But, I think I might have. He did tell me he was mostly retired from doing stuff for Hope’s Peak, and that this search was to help his grandson get in. So, I guess I must have replaced someone, if my selection was in the same search as Andy’s selection.”

“That’s weird” said Cassy.

“Eh, I’m used to it” I said.

“Pierce’s weirdness?” asked Cassy.

“No, my grandfather doing this kind of thing” I said. “If he wasn’t replacing anyone, which is still an ‘if,’ then it’s entirely possible that my grandfather scouted him as a bonus. Besides, I wasn’t replacing anyone either.”

“A bonus, you say?” said Pierce.

“Yeah, he did that all the time” I said. “One time, he was sent to look for an Ultimate Carnival Barker, and he came back with that, an Ultimate Surgeon, and Ultimate Firefighter, an Ultimate Contortionist, an Ultimate Photographer, and an Ultimate Baccarat Player.”

“That seems rather odd” said Andy.

“Eh, it was Tuesday” I said. “Besides, I still got to enjoy the parts that didn’t catch fire. And some parts that did. You know, before they caught on fire.”

“I can kind of see why everyone else would be there, but why was a baccarat player at a carnival?” asked Cassy.

“I’m not entirely sure” I said. “He said he was there to find a good luck charm, but he already had like 8. I think he was up to something, but he will never tell me”

“Wait, the baccarat player he scouted that day was none other than ‘9-Charm’ Julian Francesco?” asked Andy.

“Yeah, I guess” I said.

“WOW!” said Andy. “He’s a legend.”

“Well, it look like our work here is done” said Cassy, trying to speed our investigation up. She was right, but I loved hearing Andy talk about stuff. “We should get going.”

“Have fun on your investigation” said Pierce.

We left the art room. “Should we just go down the line and check the gym next?” asked Cassy.

“Sure” I said. We entered the gym. Buck, Elliot, Jay, and Troy were there doing some form of exercise.

“Hey!” called Buck. He rushed over. “You guys hear from Monobird yet?!”

“No, not yet” said Cassy.

Buck scoffed. “Figures” he said. “So, what are you two doing together?”

“Well, we have some questions for you” I said.

“Shoot” said Buck.

Cassy took out my grandpa’s photo. “Do you know this man?”

Buck looked confused. “Yeah. He recruited me to Hope’s Peak.”

“Was he choosing you over someone else?” Cassy asked.

“Yeah…” said Buck. “But how did you know that?”

“It seems to be a recurring theme” said Cassy.

“Um, what was your impression of him?” I asked, nervously.

“He was something else” said Buck. “It’s like he was 12 steps ahead of everyone when he tested me against the person they were going to give it to. I mean, I was happy to let her have it, but he insisted I was the better choice. It was very hard to argue with him about it. I mean, he knew things I knew about basketball that I didn’t even know.”

“That’s my grandpa for you” I said.

“THAT WAS YOUR FUCKING GRANDPA?!” shouted Buck. “Then I totally trust his judgement.”

“What do you mean?” asked Cassy.

“He said that he was evaluating these choices to show Hope’s Peak that he still has it in him” said Buck. “He wanted to let his grandson in. After playing ball with you, I fully understand what your grandfather saw in you.”

“Um, Thank you” I said.

“And thank you for your time” said Cassy.

We talked towards Elliot. “What’s up?” she asked.

“We have some questions for you” said Cassy.

“Yes, I would be down with a threesome with you two” said Elliot. I was blushing, but not as hard a Cassy. “Just kidding.”

“About what?” I asked.

“I just wanted to see how Cassy would react” said Elliot. “After all, we gotta keep having fun to stop ourselves from killing each other, right?”

“How is this fun?” I asked.

“It’s fun for me” said Elliot. “Anyway, what are your actual questions?”

Cassy couldn’t look at Elliot anymore. She looked away and held up the picture. “Do you recognize this man?”

“Oh yes” said Elliot. “He’s the one that got me into Hope’s Peak.”

Cassy was still embarrassed, but she pressed onward as best as she could. “Did he say anything unusual?”

“Unusual how?” asked Elliot.

“Um, do you know if you were replacing someone as the Ultimate Contestant?” I asked.

“Oh, that” said Elliot. “Yeah. What of it?”

Cassy finally looked up. “It’s important” was all she was able to muster though

“I see” said Elliot. “Man, that threesome thing really got to you. I was joking.”

“Most people usually aren’t that forward with their jokes” I said.

“How were you chosen?” asked Cassy.

“Oh that?” said Elliot. “That was fun. Have either of you heard of a show called ‘Double Dare’?”

“Maybe” said Cassy.

“My grandpa used to watch it from time to time” I said. “He said it helped him understand what a contestant is truly capable of.”

“Well, your grandpa and this person would get along famously, because he also loved watching Double Dare for that reason” said Elliot.

“That was my grandpa” I said.

“Oh! Really?!” said Elliot. “I can see the resemblance now. Anyway, my competitor and I competed on a makeshift Double Dare-like game. It was a test of a lot of things, and in the end I won. That allowed me to get an invite from Hope’s Peak.”

“Well, thank you for your time” said Cassy.

“Man, you’re still flustered” said Elliot. “Just so you know, I was kidding. I’m not the type of person to share.”

_I figured as much._ “You’re so used to getting first that I bet sharing feels weird” I said.

“That’s what your grandpa said when my competitor asked if we could both attend Hope’s Peak” said Elliot. “I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“Let’s just go” said Cassy, tugging on my arm.

We walk away for a bit. “Maybe we should take a break” I said. Help you cool down after that joke.”

“…Sure” said Cassy. We sat in the bleachers and took a break. “It’s just, Elliot says stuff like that a lot. I thought she was being serious. It really got to me.”

“I know what you mean” I said. “I wasn’t sure if she was joking at first either. But hey, we got the information we needed. It’s all good, right?” I said nudging her.

“Just, don’t touch me” she said.

“OK” I said. We just sat there in silence for a little bit.

Finally Cassy composed herself and said “OK, I think I’m ready. Let’s go interview Troy and Jay.”

“500!” We heard Troy and Jay call that out at the same time.

“Another tie?” said Troy.

“Looks like it” said Jay. “Man, I haven’t felt this pumped in a while.”

“Let’s go” I said. We got up and met with Troy and Jay where they were standing. “Hey guys, what’s up?”

“We were having a push-up contest, good sir” said Troy. “We wanted to see who could get first to 500 push-ups.”

“It was a tie though” said Jay. “Although, I’m psyched to have someone who can match my skill. It pushes me to become even better.”

“Hopefully not too far” I said. “While you might not exactly care about the state your body is in, Monokuma isn’t willing to help us if you somehow decapitate yourself internally.”

“Been there, done that” said Jay.

_I was kidding._

“But I get what you mean” said Jay. “Monokuma isn’t exactly in the mood to help us. So if that type of thing happens again, then yeah, I’d be up shit creek. But I don’t think that’ll really happen. I mean, I’ve already done a lot of stuff like that, and my body has toughened up because of that. So, it’s be really hard for that to happen again.”

“While we are friends, good sir, I am deeply disturbed by your previous injuries” said Troy.

“A lot of people are” said Jay. “No offence taken.”

“AHEM!” said Cassy. She held up the picture. “Do either of you recognize this person?”

“Why, yes I do, good madam” said Troy.

“So do I” said Jay. “He’s the one who got me into Hope’s Peak.”

“What a coincidence, good sir. He got me in as well” said Troy.

“Like you were saying yesterday Troy,” said Cassy, “this might not be a coincidence at all.”

“What do you mean, good madam?” asked Troy.

“First, I’d like to ask another question. Were either of your replacing someone else for your title?” said Cassy.

“Yeah, I was. It was a little satisfying too” said Jay.

“I, too, was replacing someone, good madam” said Troy. “Although, I wouldn’t say I was satisfied with crushing someone’s dream.”

“Normally, I wouldn’t either” said Jay, “but she was one of my biggest bullies. It made me laugh to see that old man almost beat her in a race.”

“I see, good sir. Then I shall laugh at her misfortune with you. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” laughed Troy.

“You grandfather was that fit?” asked Cassy.

“Yeah” I said. “He had to keep up with people like Jay. Although not so much that he could outdo them. ‘Just enough to separate the wheat from the chaff’ he said.”

“That old man was your grandfather?!” asked Jay.

“I am shocked, but not surprised, good sir” said Troy. “He carried himself in a similar manner that you do. Although, he was much more refined.”

“He did say something about getting his grandson into Hope’s Peak” said Jay. “I thought it was nepotism, but then he clapped back by saying his daughter wasn’t allowed entry when he was the headmaster. He seems to take his job rather seriously. Although, after having met you, I agree with Troy. You possess a similar spark to your grandfather’s. I can see now why he would want you in.”

“Oh, uh, thanks” I said. “So, how were you tested?”

“My test came about by accident, good sir” said Troy. “I saw your grandfather jumping off a building. I thought he had fallen, so I rushed in to help. I stood on a wire and grabbed his hand. After that, I picked him up and rushed him back on top of the building. I saw another person there, who I later found out was originally going to be the Ultimate Parkour Artist. Apparently, your grandfather was testing him to see if he could make it across the building, but he said he couldn’t. So, your grandfather was trying to do it himself, using the wire as a springboard, but I then caught him. I then demonstrated how to leap across the building without that wire. The original person fled the building in a panic. The best part though, was when he was describing to me how he could think to attempt it. He started to go into my Master’s philosophy, and then I told him I was his student. He asked to come to Master’s grave with me, and we did. It was a lovely time.”

“My story is a little similar” said Jay. “I was strolling around in the bleachers. At this point, I was just kicked off the track team because they didn’t need me for victories anymore. Anyway, I saw your grandpa racing my bully. It was close, but she won. But, she was breathing heavy, and your grandfather hadn’t broken a sweat. I called out to her to delight in her misery. That’s when gained an interest in me. My bully explained that I was no longer on the track team, but that made him even more curious. He said he wanted to race me next. I allowed him time to catch his breath if he needed it, but he said he was ready. We raced, and I won by a mile. Your grandfather needed to rest after that race, I’ll tell ya. He then said I was going to Hope’s Peak instead. I rejected at first though.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because, my school has a serious bullying problem” said Jay. “I wasn’t the only one, but I was the toughest. And usually, I would defend those who couldn’t defend themselves. Luckily, your grandfather seems to know a lot of interesting people, because he said he would call in people to help protect student and educate everyone so that the bullying would be reduced.”

“Was one of them a bodyguard named Chris?” I asked.

Jay had to think for a minute. “There was a bodyguard, but her name was Ashley, I think” he said.

“Wow, Ashley’s getting jobs on her own now?” I said. “Good for her.”

“Anyway, I think that our work here is done” said Cassy. “Thanks for the information. Let’s go” she said, pulling my arm.

“Uh, thanks again” I said. “Seeya.”

“Fare thee well, good sir” said Troy.

“Seeya” said Jay.

While we we leaving the gym, Cassy asked me “Why must you always lengthen the process?”

“I get where you’re coming from” I said, “but I like seeing how my grandfather tested Ultimates. While I admit he was a workaholic, I enjoyed that side of him from time to time, and seeing how these people were chosen feels like his final gift to me.”

“Oh” said Cassy. “I’m sorry. It’s just that, we are on a timer. I’m a little stressed out when I need to work on a timer.”

“You don’t work well under pressure?” I asked.

“I like to be thorough with my investigations” she said. “Normally, I’d be asking those questions, but in a situation like this, I loose my cool. When I’m given the freedom to work, I do end up taking longer, but I never get the wrong person. I pride myself on that.”

“I see” I said. We made it out into the hall again. “Well, I guess the only place left is the dining area.”

“And the nurse’s office” said Cassy. “But I don’t think anyone’s in there.”

“Well, if we’re being that specific, I don’t think anyone’s in the shopping district either” I said.

Cassy looked stunned. “THIS is why I don’t work well on a timer.”

We entered the dining area to find Duke, Annabelle, and May  just hanging out. W approached them. “Um, excuse me” I said. “We need to ask some questions of the three of you?”

“Why?” asked Annabelle.

“We’re conducting an investigation” said Cassy.

“Oh. OK. Fire away” said Annabelle.

Cassy held up my grandpa’s photo. “Do any of you recognize this man?” she asked.

“Yeah” said Annabelle. “Yeah I do. He was the person who recruited me to Hope’ Peak. That’s Jacob Westwood, isn’t it?”

“Seriously?!” said May. “He recruited me as well.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” said Duke. “That man also recruited me. That can’t be a coincidence.”

“We don’t think it is either” said Cassy. “In fact, I’m certain of it. However, I do have another question for you, and some information of our own. Now, how many of you replaced someone else coming to Hope’s Peak with you title?”

“Well, I mean, I did” said May. “But I’m not sure how relevant that fact is.”

“You can’t be serious?!” said Duke. “I was also replacing someone!”

“That’s weird” said Annabelle. “I was replacing someone as well. How mysterious. So, what was the information that you wanted to share?”

Always alert to pick up on a scoop. “Oh, right” I said. “The man in the photo Cassy held up is my grandfather.”

“Hm, I see…” said Annabelle. “Wait…HOLY COW! Your grandfather was former Hope’s Peak headmaster Jacob Westwood? That’s amazing!”

“Seriously?!” said May. “That is SUPER WICKED!”

“Wait. The man that tested us…was your grandfather?” said Duke. “Well, I have to say, he does not disappoint.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“Well, he did mention something about getting his grandson in” said Duke. “I can see why he thought you belong at Hope’s Peak now. I thought it was nepotism, but I just went along with it, because who could say no to Hope’s Peak? But after seeing you play basketball, and talking to you for a bit, I can understand the potential he sees in you.”

“Yeah, he also mentioned something like this to me” said May.

“He said something to that effect when he tested me a well” said Annabelle. “….AHHHHHHH!!”

“What is it?” asked May.

“I just realized,” said Annabelle, “if Jacob Westwood is Justin’s grandfather, then his grandmother is Penelope Goldman!”

“Where have I heard that name before?” asked May.

“GADZOOKS!” said Duke. “Wasn’t she an Ultimate Writer?”

“Yes!” said Annabelle. “She wrote in all sorts of styles, and was nearly perfect in all of them. From fiction, to nonfiction. She was even good at writing newspaper articles.”

“Yeah” I said. “My grandma was amazing. That’s also why you recognized the style of what she said to me when she got me this wristband.”

“So, THAT was it!” said Annabelle.

I looked at Cassy, as if to ask if our investigation was done. “Fine” she said. “I need to talk to Monobird anyway. She left to approach Monobird, who stayed in here since breakfast.

“What was that about?” asked May.

“It’s nothing” I said. “Anyway, if you don’t mind, I would love to hear how my grandpa tested you.”

“Oh, sure!” said May. “I’ll go first. So, what happened was he wanted to see if we could move someone with our music selection. It was a friend of his. He was a grumpy old man, but deep down I sensed that he was sad and lonely. The person who was to go to Hope’s Peak just played stuff from his era. It got him moving a little bit, but it wasn’t what he needed to hear. I opted for some more modern songs that felt like what he needed to hear. My opponent scoffed at me, but when I looked at the old man, he was crying. Just letting it all out. He opened up about how his wife and daughter were killed in a car crash.  He said he hadn’t felt the same ever since. I told him about my situation, and we bonded over that. He said he was going to keep moving forward. Well, as much as he could anyway. I wonder how he’s doing.”

“By chance, are you talking about Gordy Jones?” I asked.

“Yeah!” said May. “How do you know him?”

“He’s one of my grandpa’s friends, like you said” I said.

“Oh, right” said May.

“You must have gotten through to him, because at my grandpa’s funeral, he was in better shape than since I last saw him. I mean, he was still sad about grandpa dying, but aside from that, he was more relaxed than I had seen him since the accident” I said.

“Really?!” said May. “I’m glad for him.”

“My test wasn’t anything so emotional” said Duke. “Well, unless you count excitement as an emotion. Which it is. But that’s not the point. The point is my test involved me and my competitor recreating a ground-breaking formula that a previous Ultimate Chemist came you with. It was a little tricky, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Apparently, it was a little too much for the other guy. Can you believe that they were off by 5 milliliters of water? 5 milliliters!”

“Um, 5 milliliters doesn’t sound like a lot” I said.

“This is why you aren’t the Ultimate Chemist” said Duke. “Sometimes a chemical compound can be disrupted simply by 1 milliliter of something. And sure, water isn’t the most dangerous thing, but if it were something, like a type of acid for example, the results of putting in too much or not enough could be disastrous! So, don’t go messing with things you don’t understand. Got it?”

“Got it” I said.

“Good” said Duke. “I might have been foolish enough to ignore that warning in my youth, but I won’t allow anyone else to make those mistakes so long as I can help it. To be honest, that’s kind of why I wanted to get into Hope’s Peak. If I were known world-wide I could spread my message more clearly, and hopefully prevent further accidents.”

Duke seems a bit off, but he’s serious when it comes to matters of chemistry. “If we were at Hope’s Peak right now, instead of here, I think you could do it” I said.

Duke was taken aback by the sudden compliment. “Thanks” he said.

“As for me, Mr. Westwood determined it was a simple matter of oversight on Hope’s Peak’s account” said Annabelle. “You see, the article that got Hope’s Peak’s attention was an article the person they were considering and I wrote together. However, I did most of the work. Hope’s Peak only chose the other person because her name was the first to appear on the byline. It was only like that though because the names were listed alphabetically by last name, and having a last name like ‘Winchell’ doesn’t help me in that scenario.”

“Who was the other person?” I asked.

“Her name was Vanessa Greene” said Annabelle. “She’s not bad at the job, in fact she’s the one that got the ball rolling on the story, but her style could use a little more polish.”

“Were you close?” I asked.

“I guess you could say that” said Annabelle. “I guess we were friends. There was always a little bit of competition between us, you know being the only two teenagers at a major newspaper and all, but we were friends. We even went to the carnival together just for fun once. I didn’t take a single note.”

“That sounds nice” I said. _Hang on. A mix-up in the by-line. That doesn’t sit right with me._

“Alright everyone” said Cassy, coming back to us. “Monobird says he’s ready to talk to all of us. May, you gather everyone from the gym. Justin, get everyone from the art room. I’ll go get Sophe and Rachel. Duke, Annabelle, you two stay here.”

“Sounds like a plan” said Duke.

With that, May, Cassy, and I left. I entered the art room and told them that Monobird was ready. All of them stopped and followed me back to the dining area. When I had gotten back, May and everyone from the gym were already there.

“So, this leaves Cassy, Sophie, and Rachel” said Elliot.

“They should be here soon” I said.

“Hey look, there they are” said Jay.

We all looked at the three of them walking in. “Alright, now that we’re all here, let’s begin” said Cassy.

Sophie jumped in and said “Aren’t you going to talk about-?”

“NO!” said Cassy, her face turning red. “No.”

“We’ll discuss it later” said Rachel. “For now, there is more important business to discuss.”

“Right” said Cassy. “Monobird! What do you have for us?”

“Right!” said Monobird. “We have successfully contacted everyone’s parents. We are protecting them to the best of our ability. However, we did discuss the idea of what would happen when Monokuma’s timer reaches zero.” Monobird breathed heavily. “And all of them said they would die to let you live.”

“Wait, all of them?” asked Jay.

“Yes” said Monbird.

“I-I see” said Jay. All of us looked upset. This wasn’t a good option, but if we all wanted to live this was our only option.

May was in tears. “Not again!” she called out.

Troy seemed like a mix of angry and depressed. “Well, a deal is a deal, good madam” he said to Cassy. “So no one will be giving up their lives.”

Cassy looked solom. “Though we must bear this burden on us now” she said. She opened her eyes. She looked serious. “We will have more than enough time to mourn later” she said, as she collected herself. “This is hard on me as well, but we do have something else to discuss.”

“Oh yeah?” said Duke.

“I think I have found the reason why we were specifically targeted” said Cassy. The whole room was now focused on her. Cassy held up my grandfather’s picture. “All of us here were recruited by this man, Jacob Westwood. Justin and I confirmed that from everyone this morning. Furthermore, most of us were replacing someone else. Justin and I also confirmed this.”

“Wait, most of us?” asked Elliot.

“Yes” said Cassy. “It is unknown if Pierce was replacing someone, and Justin wasn’t replacing anyone. Mr. Westwood was recruiting the rest of us in order to prove that what he saw in Justin wasn’t a fluke, and that Justin should attend Hope’s Peak.”

This was a repeat of what everyone had heard individually, but it’s nice to know that we’re all on the same page. However, there was something I had only just thought about. “That’s not all” I said.

“What?” said Cassy. “We didn’t do much else. I wanted to be prepared before this meeting as fast as possible.”

“Right, and I get that,” I said, “but this was something I came across just before the meeting while you were talking with Monobird. Annabelle said that she wasn’t chosen initially because of an error on the part of Hope’s Peak. They had misinterpreted the byline of an article she had worked on.”

“Right” said Annabelle.

“However, as you all know by now, I am the grandson of Mr. Westwood, who was the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy for several year. I know a lot about Hope’s Peak, and I don’t believe a mistake like that could be made unintentionally” I said.

“You don’t mean?” said Cassy.

I nodded. “While I don’t have any evidence for it, I believe that our initial rejection from Hope’s Peak wasn’t an accident” I said. “I believe that The Ultimate Killer did that on purpose so that we wouldn’t go to Hope’s Peak.”

Suddenly, two party popper shot off, confetti dropped from the ceiling, and a congratulatory jiggle sounded. “You got it” said Monokuma, popping out from nowhere again.

“AHHHHH!” said Andy.

“What the fuck do you want?!” asked Buck.

“You solved a mystery” said Monokuma. “The Ultimate Killer did indeed want you to not be at Hope’s Peak. However, that lousy Jacob was just too darn good at his job. So The Ultimate Killer had to kill you all.”

“Care to explain why?” I asked, half knowing the answer.

“No” said Monokuma. “That’s another mystery you have to figure out on your own. But maybe you can do it. After all, you figured something out just from a byline. That’s the kind of detective work I like seeing. And hopefully, I can see that kind of work in a class trial soon.”

“Well, don’t hold your breath, foul villain” said Troy.

“Or do. They you could just suffocate and die and the world would be a better place” said Jay.

“What are you talking about?” asked Monokuma.

“You listen to all of our conversations, don’t you?” asked Rachel. “You know what we’re planning to do.”

“Right!” said Duke. “And our parents are willing to give their lives for us. So your little motive has failed!”

“Are you sure about that?” asked Monokuma.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Sure, THEY’RE OK with it, but are you? Think of the consequences” said Monokuma. “For instance, did you know that Buck has the most adorable little sister?”

Buck’s face turned pale. “What are you going to do with Millie?” he asked.

“I’m not going to hurt her” said Monokuma. “I only said I’d kill your parents. I’m a bear of my word. However, that doesn’t stop The Ultimate Killer from say, taking her and raising her as his own.”

“You wouldn’t” said Buck.

“BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Just think about it” said Monokuma. “A sweet little girl like that growing up and becoming a second, more deadly Ultimate Killer. It’s almost to much to BEAR!”

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” shouted Buck, as he was charging Monokuma. “I’M GOING TO PUNCH YOUR FUCKING STUPID FACE!!!!!!!!”

“WAIT!” shouted Jay. Jay sprinted incredibly fast to tackle Buck.

“Get off me!” said Buck.

“He’s just saying that to get you riled up” said Jay. “He wants you to do stuff like this.”

“Well, it’s working” said Buck. “Just let me hit him.”

“I can’t let you do that” said Jay. “If you attack him now, you’ll just get killed. That won’t do your parents or Millie any good now, would it.”

Buck thought about it for a second. “You’re right” he said. “You’re absolutly fuckin’ right.”

“If it helps, I don’t think the Ultimate Killer could take away your sister if he wanted to” said Cassy. “He’d already be bogged down by the police. If he manages to kill your parents, there’s no way they’d take your sister without her dragging him down.”

“Ya got me” said Monokuma. “Still, that’s just one scenario. There are plenty of other things that could happen because your parents died. But if you don’t care, that’s fine by me. Either way, the clock is still ticking. Be sure you absolutely know what you’re doing before you do it. Oh, and one more thing. Happy Killing!” Monokuma disappear just as fast as he appeared.

Everyone in the dining area looked disturbed by what just happened. “We’re not going to let him get to us, right?” said Pierce. “Let’s just stick to our plan for now.”

“Easy for you to say, you don’t have any parents to speak of” said May.

“That’s fair”said Pierce.

“But he is right” said Cassy. “We’d just be playing into his hand if we let him bother us. We already agreed to a plan. I still say it’s best for us to stick to it.”

“I agree” I said, hoping to bring everyone down from their justified anger at Monokuma.

“Yeah, you’re right” said Buck. “Thankfully, we have people like you to keep dummies like me in check. And thank you too Jay. If you hadn’t stopped me, I’d be worm food right now.”

“Oh. Um, you’re welcome” said Jay.

“Right” I said. “All we can do now is wait out the clock.”

“Well, that’s not all we can do” said Elliot.

I looked at her and said “I don’t think now is the time to-”

“No, silly, I’m not talking about THAT” she said. “Although, I wouldn’t say ‘no’ if you asked me.”

“Then what is it?” I asked.

“I’m glad you asked” said Elliot. “I’ve prepared a special bonding activity for us tonight. It’s after dinner tonight, so please wait in the dining area or kitchen until everyone’s done eating. Then we can begin.”

Everyone nodded. Well, I’m glad that we can still be somewhat cheerful. But what Monokuma said was still bugging me. Still, as long as all of us stuck to the plan, then we shouldn’t have too much to worry about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One part of the bigger mystery solved, and no one's dead yet. Still, there's a lot to the "why" the students don't know about.
> 
> I decided to break up the first half an second half of day three because a lot happens in this day. The first half was eventful, if I do say so myself.
> 
> I guess I should also mention now about the free time events. They happen, but I don't plan on writing them in the story like I am the item events. Instead, at some point I'll write them all for the characters, but I don't know if that will be soon necessarily. It is a bit hard to write around future twists, and since a lot of my writing comes at the spur of the moment, writing something that might contradict itself later is a possibility. So, we'll see.


	9. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 1: A Smiling Face Betrays the Truth (Part 4)

“Well, I’m going to finish preparing the event in my room” said Elliot. “I’ll see you all at dinner.” Elliot. She left to prepare whatever she had planned.

“So, what do we do now?” asked Cassy.

“Well, I guess we could try and explain what happened” said Sophie. As she said that, Cassy bolted straight out of the dining area. “Hey WAIT!” Sophie shouted.

“Let’s follow her” said Rachel.”We owe her an explanation.” Sophie and Rachel followed after Cassy.

Maria was deep in thought. “I have an idea. I need to do something” she said. She then left.

“Well, I propose that we just do what we’ve been doing until dinner” said. Pierce. “Just hanging out with everyone. Is that cool?”

“I guess” said Tammy. Everyone disbursed from the dining area except for Jay, Roman, Tammy, May, and myself.

“Hey Justin, you sense it too, right” said May.

“Sense what?” I asked.

“The mood in here” May replied. “It feels confused, don’t you think?”

Looking at the three remaining people, I could get a sense of what’s she’s talking about. “I guess so” I said.

“Great. So let’s see if we can’t help” said May. She grabbed my hand and took me over to where the other three were sitting. “So, how is everyone?” she asked. No response. “Man, I can’t wait to see what Elliot has planned for tonight, what about you?” No response. “So, how do you all know how to cook?” No response. May turned to me and said “Help.”

I sighed. “So Roman,” I said, “you seem a little tense right now. Why don’t you go to the art room and make another statue of Maria?”

May looked and me and said “What are you do-”

“There’s not enough clay to work with” said Roman. “Besides, I’m waiting for the statue I already made to cool.”

“Cool?” I asked.

“Yeah” said Roman. “It’s so my statue can solidify. I inspected it yesterday to make sure nothing was wrong with it, and this morning I put it in the fridge.”

“I didn’t see it in the fridge in the kitchen” I said.

“Not that fridge!” said Roman. “The art room has a room to cool down objects to make them solidify.”

“Oh, I see” I said.

“Besides, I don’t think a statue’s going to help” said Roman.

“Oh? Why’s that?” I asked.

“Because I’m just so...GAH!’ said Roman.

“Why is that?” asked May.

“Well, I’m just surprised is all” said Roman. “I just didn’t think my dad would sacrifice himself for me.”

“Huh?” said May. “But why not?”

“He and his father don’t get along well” I said.

“That’s news to me” said Jay, who looked up, along with Tammy. “Why is that?”

“He just tries to take apart everything I love” said Roman.

“Wha?” said May.

“His dad is a critic” I told them “Whenever Roman was interested in something, his dad would always tell him what was wrong with it.”

“Yeah! And for a while, I was depressed about all of that” said Roman. “But then I met Maria, and suddenly I found myself sticking up for something. I had never done anything like that before, but it made me feel happy.”

“That is so sweet” said May, with tears in her eye.

“To this day, we still argue a lot when we see each other, so I usually make it a point to not do that often” said Roman. “To be honest, I wasn’t very concerned about the motive because I think I was OK with letting my dad die. But now, after hearing Monobird say that all of our parents would sacrifice themselves for us, I feel bad. I don’t know what to do.”

“Ha” said Jay. “It looks like we’re in the same boat.”

“Really?” said Roman, confused.

“Yeah” said Jay. “My parents and I are kind of distant as well. They came to all my track meets, but it seems like that's all they like about me. But I guess whoever your grandpa brought in Justin is doing wonders, if they’d be willing to do that for me. So, thank you, I guess.”

“Me?” I said. “My grandpa did all of that.”

“Yeah, but he did all of that for you” said Jay. “So, in that sense, you did that. Except now, I feel bad like Roman.”

“I feel bad too” said Tammy, jumping into the conversation.

“Wait, really?” asked Jay.

“But I thought your dad loved you” said May. “And surely you mom must love you too.”

“It’s not that” said Tammy. “It’s Richard.”

“Richard?” Roman asked.

“He’s mom’s boyfriend” said Tammy. “He’s fine and all, but why can’t she wait for daddy to get out of prison. He didn’t do anything.”

“Well, I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason for that” said May.

“It’s not fair!” Tammy cried out. “After how much of a jerk I was, Richard is willing to give up his life for mine. I just don’t know what to do. WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Tammy started crying.

“Wait!” I said, trying to salvage this just a little. “If he’s just your mom’s boyfriend, then maybe he doesn’t count.”

“He most certainly does” said Monokuma, who then appeared.

“GAH!” said May.

“Don’t do that” I said, in vain.

“But that’s at least 1/10 of why my character is fun” said Monokuma.

“So, why does Richard count?” I asked.

“Because he takes on the roll of parent for Ms. Sparks over there” said Monokuma. “How else could I justify killing all of the adoptive parents as well?”

“Why do you need to justify anything?” May asked.

“Because this is a game. And games have rules. I can’t go around breaking those rules” said Monokuma. “So, I just give myself clever loopholes whenever I can. By the way, one of you was complaining about the low amount of clay. I’ll make sure that they bring it along with the next food delivery.” Roman just sat there silently. “Aren’t you going to thank me?”

“I’ll thank you when you let us out of this place” said Roman.

“Hm” said Monokuma. “I know when I’m not wanted.”

“You’re never wanted, you just pop up whenever” said Jay.

“Well, maybe now that you’ve realized that your parents really do care, you can kill to make it up to them” said Monokuma. “HAPPY KILLING!” he said, as he disappeared.

“What a jerk” I said.

“Now THAT’s an understatement” said May.

“Although, he is right” said Jay. “I do want to see my parents again to see how they’ve changed. But I don’t want to kill for it. This is so confusing.”

All three of them looked down. “Hey Justin, say something” said May.

“Me?” I replied.

“Yeah” said May. “I only know how to make people better through music. You can do that with words.”

She has a point. She wasn’t great at getting this out in the first place. “Alright” I said.

“Yay” said May.

“Look,” I said, “I’m sure however you feel about your parents, or Richard, you see now that they care about you. If you decided to kill for them, you’d just be betraying that newfound trust.”

All of them looked at me.”Yeah” said Jay. “Yeah, that makes so much sense. I gotta just keep looking forward. I can make amends with them when I get out with the rest of you.”

“Won’t they be dead by then?” asked Roman.

“I guess” said Jay. “But I can still make amends with them. I can go to their graves and make peace with them. It’s never too late to do something good for someone.”

Roman thought about it for a second. “I guess you’re right” he said. “ALRIGHT! YEAH! I’M GOING TO MAKE AMENDS WITH MY DAD WHEN I GET OUT!”

“I’ll make amends wh Richard too” said Tammy through her tears. “MAKE NO MISTAKE! I’LL BE GOOD IF YOU SURVIVE THIS! AND I’LL APOLOGIZE IF YOU DON’T!”

“Yeah, there is always the chance that they won’t be killed” said May. “After all, they’re being protected and everything.”

“Yeah, so there’s no need to be so down” I said. “We can get through this together!”

Jay, Roman, and Tammy started cheering up a bit. We talked for a little while after that, but then I remembered something. “Oh, I should go check on Cassy. See how she’s doing” I said.

“Why’s that?” asked May.

“Well, you saw how uncomfortable she was because something happened when she went to get Sophie and Rachel” I said. “I want to make sure everything’s alright.”

“Gotcha” said May.

“Well, seeya” I said.

I got up and was about to leave when Roman called out to me. “Hey Justin!” I turned to look at him, and he just winked at me and gave me the thumbs up.

 _What was that about?_  I gave him the thumbs up too and left.

I made my way upstairs. I walked down the girl’s hall and sure enough Sophie and Rachel were standing in front of Cassy’s door. “Please hear us out” said Sophie.

“Go away!” shouted Cassy.

I walked over there myself. “Alright, what happened?” I asked.

“Oh Justin” said Sophie. “Well, um, how do I put this?”

“They were practically making out” said Cassy.

“What?” I said.

“It wasn’t exactly like that” said Rachel. “Sophie and I were teasing each other about girl things and we eventually landed in a position that looked compromising. That’s when Cassy came to get us.”

“What are ‘girl things’?” I asked.

“It’s a secret. You’re only allowed to know if you’re a girl” said Sophie.

“I see” I said. “Well, I at least know why Cassy’s like this.”

“You do?” said Sophie.

“Yeah. She’s not very comfortable with, um, intimacy. At least in front of other people” I said.

“Oh” said Sophie. “Cassy, we’re sorry you walked in on that. It’s just Rachel and I are close, and stuff like that happens from time to time.”

“Yeah, we were just goofing around and it just happened” said Rachel. “Please come out and talk to us.”

We waited with baited breath. A few seconds later Cassy slowly opened her door and came out. “I should apologize. I really should have knocked before entering” she said.

“Why didn’t you?” asked Sophie.

“Yes, it does seem a little odd that you weren’t thorough about this” said Rachel.

“I don’t work well under pressure!” said Cassy.

“What?” said Rachel.

“I think she’s trying to say that she would have if there wasn’t a timer counting down our parent’s death” I said. “She’s a good detective, but becomes very overwhelmed under pressure.”

“Yeah. What he said” said Cassy. “Anyway, I’m sorry I didn’t knock.”

“It’s OK, we forgive you” said Sophie.

“We do?” asked Rachel.

“Rachel” said Sophie, pouting.

“Alright, we do” said Rachel. “Just be sure to knock next time. Unless you want to join us next time.” Cassy’s face lit up red and she went back into her room and slammed the door. Rachel laughed.

“Rachel. What was that for?” asked Sophie.

“Fun” said Rachel.

Why do people keep saying that?

“She just needs a little breathing room” said Rachel. She’ll be fine by dinner.”

“Really?” asked Sophie.

“I can attest to that” I said. “Something like this happened earlier today and she was fine after a short rest. And that was worse, in my opinion. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“Well, if you say so” said Sophie. “You know her better than anyone else here.” Her face then turned white. “Oh, I made myself sad.”

 _What is she talking about?_  “I’m sure that she’ll open up and soon you’ll know her as well as I do” I said.

“I doubt that” said Rachel.

“Wha?” I said.

Sophie pounded on Rachel’s arm “No Rachel, let me have this” she said.

_What kind of comedy routine is this?_

“Very well” said Rachel. “It seems Justin here is not in tune with that side of him yet.”

“What side?” I said. “I am very confused. First Roman gave me a wink and a thumbs up when talking about Cassy, and now this. Like, what’s going on?”

“Hehehehehehehehe” said Rachel. “I can’t tell you that. Partially because it’s for you to discover, but partially because this is hilarious.”

“Rachel” said Sophie.

“Alright, I’ve had my fun” said Rachel. “Let’s go.” She and Sophie left. I turned around to, but I saw Maria come back up here and knock on Elliot’s door.

I walked up to her and asked “Maria, what are you doing here?”

“Oh!” said Maria. “Sorry, you surprised me. Well, I um-”

Elliot opened her door and said “Yes?”

“Oh, Elliot. Perfect timing” said Maria. “Well, um, I was wondering, could I reveal my latest tapestry during the bonding event. I just finished it this morning, and I would like everyone to see it.”

“Oh, is that all?” said Elliot. “Of course. I’m sure everyone will love it.”

“Great. Thanks” said Maria.

“And you, Mr. Arbil, did you come here to ask me that question I wouldn't say no to?” Elliot asked.

“What? NO!” I said. “I was up here for a different reason. I ran into Maria and I wanted to see what she was up to.”

“I see” said Elliot. “Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.” She closed her door.

“She’s quite the character” said Maria.

“You can say that again” I said. “So, you finished your tapestry?”

“Oh, yeah. It looks simply divine” said Maria. “I can’t wait for tonight.”

“Me either” I said. We headed back downstairs.

I had a look around and talked to various students about stuff. Eventually, we were hungry and ate dinner together. In the middle of dinner, Cassy showed up again. When Maria finished, she got up and left to get her new tapestry. She brought it back under a curtain so as not to reveal it too early. Everyone waited for the last person to be done with dinner.

We all put our dishes away and came back to the table. “Thank you for coming” said Elliot. “Tonight I present our first bonding activity.”

“First?” asked Cassy.

“Well, yeah” said Elliot. “I was thinking that every day for the foreseeable future we all take turns preparing a bonding event until Monokuma gets bored. I decided to start today, but was planning to pass the torch to someone else for tomorrow.”

“I see” said Cassy. “That sounds like a lovely idea” she said, smiling.

“Great!” said Elliot. “Now, before we begin with tonight’s main event, Maria has something she wishes to share with us. Maria, take it away.”

We all turned to look at Maria. She looked somewhat nervous, but willing to power though this. “Thank you Elliot” she said. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my latest tapestry.” She took the curtain off to reveal a tapestry of the photo Monobird took of us on our first night here before Monokuma showed up.

“Oh WOW!” said Elliot. “It looks AMAZING!”

“It’s so beautiful” said Andy, stunned.

“I love it” said Jay.

Ya did it again, honey” cried out Roman.

“This truly is a work of art” said May.

“It’s so beautiful” said Sophie.

Everyone was adoring it. It’s no wonder why Maria was the Ultimate Tapestry Artist. I don’t have the best eye for art, but even I understood why this was more than just an image made of cloth. It was so brimming with life.

“Thank you” said Maria. “You’re too kind.”

“Well, you’re too good” said Elliot.

“Hey, that’s my line!” said Roman.

Maria giggled. “Well,  suppose we should get down to the main event, right Elliot?” Maria said.

“Right!” said Elliot. She grabbed some poster board from under the table. “Presenting, tonight’s bonding activity: A Triple Elimination Arm Wrestling Contest!” She revealed the poster board to have three sets of brackets and a title that says “Triple Elimination Arm Wrestling Contest.”

“WHAT?!” Andy cried out.

“The rules are simple, you and someone else are randomly chosen to arm wrestle each other” said Elliot. “You get three chances to advance in the brackets. If you lose three times, you’re out. Simple as that. Any questions?”

“Well, um,” said Andy, “Some of us don’t have the same physical prowess as some of the other people.”

“That’s fine” said Elliot. “This is more for fun anyway. Besides, because it says ‘contest’ I’m going to win anyway. So just have fun.”

“Oh, uh, OK” said Andy.

“Hm, we shall see about that, good madam” said Troy.

“Now, let’s decide where everyone is on the first bracket” said Elliot. “Everyone put your names on a piece of paper, and put them in this bowl.”

I was wondering why she had that bowl with her. Elliot provided us with a notebook and pen, and we all wrote our names down and put them in the bowl. Elliot then drew names and read off who’s facing who in the first bracket. The first round consists of Troy vs Elliot, Buck vs Andy, Sophie vs Rachel, me vs Roman, Cassy vs Duke, Tammy vs May, Maria vs Annabelle, and Jay vs Pierce. “Alright, and with that, let’s begin!” said Elliot.

Elliot and Troy sat down facing each other. “You’re going down, good madam” said Troy.

“We’ll see about that” said Elliot. They clasped their hands together. “Annabelle, would you do the honors?”

“Oh, of course” said Annabelle. “Alright 3…2...1...GO!”

Troy and Elliot started pushing against each other. I noticed Troy was looking a little scared, while Elliot had her game face on. “What are you, good madam?” Troy asked.

“A winner” said Elliot in a disturbing voice. After she said that she slammed Troy’s arm down. “YEAH! I DID IT!” Elliot shouted in her usual demeanor.

“I will fight you again, good madam. And next time, I will win” said Troy.

“I’d like to see you try” said Elliot.

The next round was Buck vs Andy. Andy said it himself that he wasn’t as physically fit as a few other, but Buck did actually do something for him. For a good ten seconds or so, he didn’t fight back against Andy once, just to see how strong he was. While Andy did manage to budge Buck’s arm a bit, Buck still won.

The third round was interesting. It looked like Rachel had it, but at the last second she slipped up, and Sophie won. Which means I was about to fight Roman.

Roman and I sat down and prepared ourselves. “I’m sorry” said Roman.

“For what?” I asked.

“3...2...1… GO!” shouted Elliot, who had taken over for Annabelle for the matches she wasn’t in. Roman instantly slammed my arm on the table, taking a quick victory.

“YEAH!” said Roman.

“Holy crap” I said. “How did you get to be so strong?”

“You don’t work with metal, stone, wood, and ice without putting on some muscle” said Roman, flexing.

“Wow” I said. “You look so lanky. How do you hide those muscles?”

“You gotta learn to control it” said Rman. “Otherwise you’re just breaking everything you touch.”

That only half answered my question, but I don’t want to push it further. I wanted to rest my hand before I had to arm wrestle again.

Round five was between Cassy and Duke. This I was interested to see. As the contested lined up I commented that “This could go either way.”

“3...2...1...GOI!” called out Elliot. Cassy and Duke began arm wrestling. It looked even for a bout a minute, but then something changed in Duke and he slammed Cassy’s hand on the table, declaring victory.

The match between Tammy and May was something to see. It was touch and go for a while. Whenever Tammy gained some ground, May would take it back and then some. That continued for a while until eventually May fell to Tammy. “YAY! I did it!” shouted Tammy.

“Good job” said May.

“How did you do that?” asked Cassy.

“I’m a technician, I work with heavy machinery” said Tammy. “While I can’t carry a full engine, I can still carry some of its parts fairly well.”

“I see” said Cassy.

The next match between Maria and Annabelle was almost as fast as my match with Roman. Maria was able to handily defeat Annabelle in a matter of seconds.

The final match of the first round was something I like everyone was looking forward to. Jay was basically a super human, and Pierce was the most intimidating person in terms of stature. It also didn’t help that while we all saw what Jay could do, Pierce was a mystery. He could be hiding some super strength like Roman had.

The contestants readied up. “3...2...1...GO!” shouted Elliot. Both of them began pushing against each other. This match took the longest out of all of round one. Both sides were in a bit of a stalemate. Eventually though, Pierce caved in and Jay was declared the victor.

“YEAH!” shouted Jay.

“Congratulations” said Pierce, extending his hand out for a hand shake.

Jay looked at him and accepted the handshake. “Thanks” said Jay. “You’re pretty good yourself.”

“And with that, we move on to round 2” said Elliot. “We will of course start with the winner’s bracket, so it’s me and Buck up next. Are you ready?”

“Of course” said Buck. He and Elliot readied up.

I turned to Pierce because I was a bit confused by his match. “Hey Pierce” I said.

“Yeah?” he replied.

“I feel like you weren’t giving it your all” I said.

“That’s because I wasn’t” said Pierce.

“What?!” I exclaimed. “Why not?”

“Well, because if I did give it my all, I’d have an unfair advantage. Besides, I think it’s a little more fun if I play with a handicap” said Pierce.

“I guess so” I said. “I wouldn’t know what that's like.”

“I have to disagree” said Pierce. “You’re the only one here without a talent. That’s kind of a handicap, right?” I nodded. “And yet, you managed to get the most out of this situation. I imagine that if you had your talent we could get out of here in no time.”

“That’s not exactly the right way to say it” I said. “I get what you mean though.”

“I’m sorry” said Pierce. “I know it’s hard.”

“Ready Annabelle?” Elliot called out.

“Yes ma'am” said Annabelle. “3...2...1...GO!”

The rest of the evening was spent in this competition. Match-up, after matcu-up, after match-up. Through it all, we gained a sense of camaraderie that we hadn’t felt before now. Through it all, there we some stunning wins, as well as some graceful losses. In the end though, unsurprising to everyone, the winner of the whole tournament was the one who set it up in the first place: Elliot Fairville. The Ultimate Contestant. She didn’t lose once in the entire tournament.

[The Final Brackets for the Triple Elimination Arm Wrestling Contest](https://vgckwb.tumblr.com/post/173008794818/the-brackets-for-the-triple-elimination-arm)

Meanwhile…

“I can’t believe I didn’t rack up a single win” I said, dejected.

“You have to take these things in stride” said Cassy.

“You didn’t win once either” I said back to her.

“And I’m taking it in stride” she replied.

“That was fun!” said Elliot.

“I have to agree” said Andy. “Even though I didn’t win a single match. Watching everyone else was really cool.”

“Yeah, and there were some surprises in there” said Elliot. “Rachel, I thought you would do better.”

Rachel looked at Elliot for a second. “I might have, but I felt like mixing things up a bit” she said.

“Ooooooo” said Elliot. “Interesting.”

“Did you throw the game against me?” asked Sophie.

“Of course I didn’t” said Rachel. “You got by purely on your luck”.”

“Well, it took me far, but I eventually got eliminated” said Sophie. “Sometimes, you just can’t beat raw strength.”

“Yeah” I said. “It’s surprising how many people here have that kind of raw talent. I mean, I know a little bit from the basketball game, but this was on a whole new level.”

“Because this was one on one” said Elliot, with a look in her eye. “A pure contest of strength. No other rules than just be stronger. Raw. Strength. And. Perseverance.”

Troy looked scared again. “She is possessed!” he exclaimed.

“By what?” asked Annabelle.

“BY DEMONS, GOOD MADAM!” Troy answwered.

“That’s crazy. Demons don’t exist” said Pierce.

“Am I scaring you Troy?” asked Elliot.

“Just that look” said Troy. “That look is so intense.”

“Sorry” said Elliot, making a funny face. “I get that way when I’m talking about competition.”

“I’d hate to see what you get like when it comes to candy” I snarked.

“I TOLD you that was in the past” said Elliot. “But, I did win, so I guess I could go get some candy.” She left to the kitchen.

“Sure…’in the past’....” I said.

“I can’t believe I didn’t make it” said Roman.

“Sweetie, this happens sometimes when your sculpting too” said Maria. “You get really energetic, but then you burn out a little by the end.”

“Well, I hope I’m not like that in...other matters…” said Roman, getting embarrassed.

“Trust me, you’re fine” said Maria.

“Thanks” said Roman, relieved.

Cassy’s face was red. “Why do you get like this?” I asked.

“Shut up!” she snapped back.

“I thought you were supposed to ‘take this in stride’” I said. Cassy punch me in the gut. “I guess I deserve that.”

‘I can’t believe I had to fight Elliot twice” said Jay.”That was something else.”

“It was, good sir” said Troy. “I almost thought you had her for a second.”

“Yeah, so did I” said Jay. “But I guess there’s not beating an Ultimate Contestant at literally her own game.”

“You talking about me?” asked Elliot emerging from the kitchen, clutching on a bunch of candy. I gave her a look. “What?”

“‘In the past’” I said.

‘It IS! Mostly” said Elliot.

“*yawns* I’m tired” said Tammy.

“Me too” said Annabelle. “Should we call it a night?”

Just then the night announcement played. “Attention Students: It is now 10 pm; night time. Night time rules are in effect. And just as a reminder, you have 26 hours until the time limit for this motive is up. If you don’t want your parents dead, then GET TO KILLING!”

“I don’t see a better time to call it a night” I said.

“WAIT!” Elliot called out. “Before we all go, who wants to organize tomorrow’s event?”

“Tomorrow’s event?” asked May.

“Yeah. I figured we can do one of these nightly to strengthen our bonds” said Elliot. “And also so we don’t get bored.”

“I don’t think we should do anything tomorrow” said Cassy.

“Why not?” asked Elliot.

“Because…” said Cassy, staring off.

“I think what Cassy is trying to say is that tomorrow is the last night our parents are going to be alive” I said. “I don’t think any of us will be in the mood to do something fun like this.”

“Oh” said Elliot. “I guess you’re right. Well then, what about the next day?”

“I think we’ll figure that out as we go” I said. “Right now, I want to get some sleep.”

We all headed off to our rooms. Tonight was fun. Tomorrow was going to be somber. I remember we came to to escape this. In the end, we just made our own Hell.I thought about what Monokuma said earlier. Are we really OK with our parents dying? Of course we aren’t. None of this is OK. We’re given nothing but bad choices. But what we do with it is what defines us. We aren’t going to let some deranged lunatic push our buttons. At least, I hope we aren’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus concludes day three of Monokuma rule. I didn't want to just include this with the rest of part 3 because it would have been super long.  
> As long as I have you here though, I need to say something. Updates to this are going to be more spaced out from here on for a multitude of reasons. I got a new job, school is ramping up, and personal things in my life have made it a bit uncomfortable to discuss death frequently. There will still be updates when I can, but for now it will be sporatic


	10. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 1: A Smiling Face Betrays the Truth (Part 5)

Monokuma’s morning announcement came on, and I woke up to it. “Good morning. It is now 8 am. Just a reminder, you only have 16 hours before I start killing your parents. So GET KILLING! I’m starting to get bored.”

“Well, at least it’s working” I said to myself, trying to fake a smile.  _It’s weird that we are agreeing to this just to survive. Our parents did say they’d sacrifice themselves for us, right? Even with that, it doesn’t feel better. In fact, it feels slightly worse._

_Still, I gotta make sure everyone is alright. While I like everyone here, I know that not everyone is capable at handling themselves exactly. They’re all good people, but sometimes when emotions run high, people often break down. I don’t believe for a second that anyone would kill anyone, but I’d hate to see someone cooped up because they can’t handle it._

_If only there was a way to get people to calm down. Something that can keep them sane while also acknowledging the situation. …Wait, that’s it! I know what to do! I gotta find everyone._

I started knocking on doors in the boys hall. I knocked on Duke’s door and that was the first response I got. He opened the door and I saw him half dressed without his glasses. “Who’s there?” he asked.

“Um, Justin?” I said.

“Oh!” he said, surprised. “Can you give me a minute?” He went back into his room and finished putting on his clothes and sunglasses. “Alright, what do you want?”

I was confused. “Well, before I get to that,” I said, “why couldn’t you tell it was me when you answered the door?”

“Do you think these glasses are just for show?” he asked, hostilely. “No! I need these to see.”

“You can’t see?”

“Fool! Do you remember the accident I had?”

“From when you were young?”

“You DO remember! I told you it affected my eyes.”

“I thought it just gave you super eyes.”

“It did, but it came at a price. Without these glasses, all I can see a blurs. Blurs and very small things. Like chemical compositions. So while I can science without my glasses, talking to people and recognizing them is a challenge.”

“I see.”

“Still, I can at least tell a few things.”

“Like what?”

“Well, I can distinguish different patterns. I could at least tell you weren’t Monobird or Monokuma.”

“Hm. Interesting.”

“What did you come here for?”

“Oh, right. I came here to invite you to tonight’s bonding event.”

“…I thought we weren’t having one tonight.”

“We weren’t, but I decided to put one on just as I was waking up.”

“Well, I’m down for whatever. Anything to get my mind off of this ordeal.”

“Great. Meet in the dining hall at 6.”  Duke went back to his room and I left his door. He was the only person who was in there room on the boys side. I went to the girls side and started at Cassy’s room. I knocked on the door, and sure enough, she was there.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“I’ve come to invite you to tonight’s bonding event” I told her.

“No” she said dryly.

She tried closing the door but I stopped her and said “Wait! You haven’t heard what the event is yet.”

“…Fine, but I’ll still say ‘no.’”

“Don’t be too sure. I’m hosting a celebration of our parents. Sort of like a thank you to them.”

“…A thank you? …I guess I’ll come.”

“Great. Meet up in the dining hall at 6.”

I quickly found everyone else and invited them to this event.They were all willing to come. After I invited everyone, I headed to the kitchen. I prepared a banquet of food for the occasion. Some people came in to get breakfast or lunch, but I was still able to prepare as much food as I thought was necessary.

I laid out the table with food and placements. Before I knew it, 6 had arrived. However, before any of the guests arrived, Monokuma popped up with an announcement. “Hello boys and girls. This is a special announcement. For the last six hours before your parents DIE, I will have the countdown clock up on the monitor. Hopefully, seeing the clock count down to the time your parents DIE will get you moving. Happy killing!”

“Monokuma certainly knows how to put a damper on things” I said.

Troy was the first person to show up. “I dare say” he said. “That foul villain doesn’t know when to give up, does he, good sir?”

“I guess he doesn’t” I replied. “Although I hope this doesn’t scare anyone off.”

“Look, good sir, I’m going to be real” Troy began. “This situation isn’t good. I wouldn’t be surprised if some people decided not to show up.”

“I guess”  said. “I just want us to have a good time remembering our parents. You know, give them one last hurrah.”

“I get ya” said Jay, walking in. “To be honest, after hearing that announcement, I almost wasn’t going to come.”

“What changed your mind?” I asked.

“The food” Jay replied. “I could smell it from the hallway. It smells good.”

“Oh, thank you” I said nervously. More people walked in

“Yeah, it smells really good” said Elliot, excited.

“I would have to agree” said Sophie. “Isn’t that right, Rachel?”

“…Yes” said Rachel.

“Oh, uh, thanks” I said. Even more people walked in.

“Wow. I am seriously impressed with this cooking” said Duke.

“Yeah, this smells really good” said Andy.

“Aren’t you glad you came?” asked Pierce.

“Yeah” said Andy.

“It smells good, alright,” said Roman, “but does the taste live up to it?”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to see for ourselves” said Maria.

“Alright, let’s DO THIS!” said Buck.

“I couldn’t have said it better myself” said Annabelle. “Well, I could have, but, you know, deadlines.”

“Well, it seems like almost everyone is here” I stated

“So, are we waiting for everyone else?” Elliot asked.

“Well…” I started. “I guess we are really only waiting on May. I don’t imagine Cassy or Tammy would want to come, especially after that announcement, but I don’t think May would want to miss out.”

“Hey, sorry I’m late” said May coming in. “I had to find these two. Can you believe that they didn’t want to come?” Behind her were Cassy and Tammy, both looking depressed.

“They didn’t need to come” I said. “I invited them, but this was optional.”

“Oh” said May. “Well, I guess you could go then.”

“Wait!” said Tammy smelling the food. “This smells pretty good… I might stay. It beats crying alone in my room.”

Cassy looked around to see the food I prepared. “Justin, did you do all of this?” she asked.

“Yup” said Jay. “He’s been working on this all day.”

Cassy looked it over again. “Well, I suppose I shouldn’t let this effort go to waste. I’ll stay too.”

“Then it’s a party!” said May.

“Alright then,” I said, “I guess everyone take your seats.”

“WAIT!” called out Monobird. His cage came barrelling into the dinning area. “I didn’t want to miss the party.”

“Oh, uh, yeah” I said.

“Did you invite him?” asked Sophie.

“Um, no” I said.

“Well, you were inviting everyone else, so I just thought I’d join you” said Monobird. “Is that a problem?”

“Well…” I hesitated “I was thinking this would be more for us students. But I guess you’re welcome… if everyone else is OK with it.”

“Yeah, I’m fine with it” said Elliot.

“Sure” said Jay.

“The more the merrier” said May.

“But of course, good sir” said Troy.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! OF COURSE HE’S INVITED!” shouted Tammy. “HE’S HELPING US THROUGH THIS! WHY WOULD HE NOT BE ALLOWED?!”

After Tammy’s outburst, I don’t think anyone would have objected. “Alright, welcome to the party Monobird.”

“Thank you!” he said.

I turned to my classmates and said “Now, everyone please be seated.” Everyone sat down. “Before we begin eating, I’d like to propose a toast. To our parents” I said raising my glass.

“To our parents” said everyone else at the table raising their glasses.

*click*

“What was that?” Andy asked.

“Sorry” said Monobird. “That was such a touching moment, I just had to get it on camera.”

“Oh. That’s fine” said Elliot.

“Agreed, good sir” said Troy

“Can we eat now?” asked Roman. “This food looks so good.”

“I agree” said Maria.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Go for it” I said.

“Don’t be nervous” said Jay. He took a bite of his food and his face lit up. “SO GOOD!”

“I agree, good sir!” said Troy.

“THIS IS SOOOOOOO DELICIOUS!” said Elliot.

“This is so delectable” said Duke

“This is SO good” said Rachel.

“It really is” said Sophie.

“I gotta say, you really know how to cook” said Roman.

“Really?” I said. “I don’t know…”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself” said Maria. “It tastes fantastic.”

“Yeah, how many damn self-esteem issues do you have?” asked Buck.

I took a bite. “I agree it’s good, but I’m surprised at how good you think it is.”

“Really?” asked May. “Cause I gotta tell ya, this tastes like how symphonies sound.”

“Yeah, are you sure you’re not the Ultimate Chef?” asked Annabelle.

“He isn’t” said Cassy.

Everyone looked at her. “Wow. Rude” said Tammy.

“Hey!” said Cassy. “This is delicious, but I’ve had food prepared by an Ultimate Chef before. It doesn’t compare.”

“Going to a fancy restaurant and getting food from someone who graduated a long time ago and has perfected their craft isn’t a fair comparison” said Pierce.

“I would agree, except this Ultimate Chef graduated only two years ago” said Cassy.

“By chance, that wouldn’t happen to be Renee Saunteratt, would it?” I asked.

Cassy looked shocked. “Yes it was” she said.

“Figures” I said.

“How do you know her?” Cassy asked.

“Again, you can thank my grandpa” I said. “He was looking for promising young chefs, and…”

“And he found her like that?” asked Andy.

“Well, no, not quite” I said. “She actually found me. We wandered into a small burger joint between searches and ate their. While my grandpa was taking care of the bill, Renee came up to me and asked me to join her in something. I obliged and she took me to the kitchen in her house, which was right next to the restaurant. She wanted me to try something she had made. I did and it was delicious. When her parents and my grandpa found me, he had taken an interest. He asked if he could observer her cooking. They agreed, and after watching her cook, he was taken in and had her accepted.”

“Wow” said Annabelle. “That’s a heck of a story.”

“Yeah…” said Duke.

“By the way,” said Elliot, where did you learn to cook like this?”

“Renee taught me” I said.

“Really?” asked Cassy.

“Yeah. She was always stopping by to give us a new little thing she cooked up, and eventually she just taught me how to cook” I said.

“Now, by ‘us,’ you mean you and your parents?” asked Pierce.

“Well, me and grandpa” I said. “This was…”

“Was what?” asked Sophie, concerned.

“This was soon after my grandma passed away. My mom had a nervous break and couldn’t take care of me afterwards. So I stayed with my grandpa for a while.”

“I see” said Pierce. I gave him a look. He shot one back. “I was just curious. You have a lot of stories with you and your grandpa. Tonight’s supposed to be about our parents. I figured I would try to steer the conversation in that direction. I didn’t know it would end up here.”

“Oh yeah” said Sophie.

“So, why don’t you tells us more about your mother?” asked Pierce. “I want to know what she’s like.”

I wasn’t prepared for this route, but it worked out, I guess. “Well, my mom is great” I said. “She is the kindest, gentlest person I know.”

“That’s fair” said Pierce.

I continued talking about my mom for a while. This lead to talking about my dad, which lead to everyone else opening up a bit about their parents. It was a lovely evening.

When everyone was finished eating and talking, I declared the event over. ”Already?” asked Tammy.

“Well, I figured that more people would want to be alone for… for when it happens” I said. “It gives them a chance to work out their personal feelings a bit more.”

“Oh, alright” said Tammy.

“Besides, these dishes aren’t going to do themselves” I said.

“Oh no you don’t” said Jay. “You worked too hard making these dishes, let me handle it.”

“Well, I can help” I said.

“No, Jay is right” said Roman. “Let us handle everything.”

“I’ll help too” said May. “LET’S ROCK AND ROLL!” she said punching her palm.

“I too shall join in, good sirs and madam” said Troy

“Well, I guess that’s alright then” I said.

“Before you go,” said Monobird popping in, “your pictures.”

“Oh right!” said Elliot. We lined up to grab our pictures.

After Monobird distributed them all he said “This was such a good evening.”

“Hold on!” said Cassy. “Why does Maria get two pictures?”

“Oh, right” said Maria. “It’s for work. I asked Monobird for a spare picture from our first night here to make the tapestry. I didn’t want to ruin the original in the process. He assumed I would want to do another tapestry of this picture as well. And I just might.”

“I see” said Cassy. She turned to leave. “I need to think something over.” She left.

“Ohhh, I don’t feel so good” said Sophie.

“Alright” said Rachel, putting Sophie on her shoulder. “I’ll take you to the nurse’s office.”

“I think I ate too much” Sophie said.

“I know” said Rachel. They both left.

“Well then let’s do some dishes!” shouted Jay.

“YEAH!” shouted Roman, May, and Troy.

Everyone else  dispersed as they would. I wasn’t ready to go to bed, so I just relaxed in the art room. Only Maria was in there. “Oh, hi Justin” she said.

“Hey” I said.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I just didn’t want to go to sleep yet” I said.

“I see” she said. “Well you have a nice choice for a relaxing room.”

“Yeah. It is pretty peaceful in here” I said.

“I like it because there’s a lot of potential in here” said Maria. “So many ways to create art in one room. It’s euphoric to me.”

“I see. I like it because it’s usually quiet in here.” I said.

“Oh, am I disturbing you?” she asked.

“No. This is fine” I said. I looked around the room some more and noticed something was missing. “Oh yeah. Why isn’t your tapestry in here?” I asked.

“Huh?” said Maria. “Oh right, you were cooking all day. We hung it up in the gym.”

I was confused. “Now, when you say ‘we,’” I began,”who do you mean?”

“Basically, everyone except you and Cassy” she replied.

Figures. “So, why wasn’t cassy there?” I asked.

“Well, she said she was too busy working up the courage to, and I quote, ‘come to his stupid little dinner party’” said Maria.

“…”

“I know it seems rude, but she enjoyed herself in the end, and that’s all that matters, right?”

“I guess so” I said.

“Just because she’s difficult, doesn’t mean she doesn’t care. Maybe you should be more open with her and she’ll be more open with you.”

I thought about it for a bit. “Well, I guess we both have our reasons for not opening up as much” I said. “Maybe we should be more open.”

“You’ll get there eventually” said Maria, as she giggled.

We talked for a while, and then Pierce and Andy walked in. “You ready now?” asked Pierce.

“Yeah” said Andy, looking serious. “I think so.

“Ready for what?” asked Maria.

“Andy’s been trying to draw a picture, but he can’t get it off the ground” said Pierce.

“PIERCE!” said Andy.

“Sorry, I’m a bit tired. You got me out of my room for this” said Pierce.

“Oh, maybe I can help” said Maria.

“Huh?” said Andy.

“Yeah. I’m not as good at drawing as I am at tapestry, but I can still do it just fine” said Maria.

“Oh, uh yeah. Sure” said Andy.

“Well, I guess you don’t need me then” said Pierce. “I’m going to turn in for the night.”

“Good night” I said.

“WAIT!” said Andy.

“You got this. Especially with an artist like Maria helping you” said Pierce. “She’ll be proud.” Pierce left.

“Good night” Andy said.

“Now, what are we drawing?” asked Maria.

“Um, it’s a picture of my mom” said Andy.

“Oh, poor thing. You worried about her?” said Maria.

“Well, um, I didn’t mention this, but, well… my mom is already dead” said Andy.

“Oh. I’m sorry” said Maria.

“No, it’s my fault for not telling you” said Andy.

“When did she die?” asked Maria.

“She died when I was very young” said Andy.

Maria gave Andy a hug. They both had tears in their eyes. “It’ll be alright” she said. After they broke their hug Maria said “Alright, now let’s get started on this drawing.”

Maria was really patient with Andy’s constant frustrations with himself while he was trying to draw. She was a very helpful and understanding teacher. Pretty soon Andy was getting the hang of it. But then…

“Attention Students! It is now 10pm, and that means it’s night time! Also, this means there’s only two hours to kill someone to SAVE everyone’s parents! This is your last chance to do it! SO BE A HERO AND KILL SOMEONE!”

“Fuckin’ bear” I said.

Andy was still working on his drawing when Maria said “Right. I’m a bit tired. Do you think you can finish this by yourself?”

“Um, I think I got the hang of it” said Andy.

“OK then. I can’t wait to see the finished product” said Maria. “Well, good night” she said, leaving.

“Good night” said Andy.

“I’m going to take off as well” I said. “You OK by yourself?”

“I-I think so” said Andy.

“OK, then” I said. “Good night.” I left the art room.

“Good night” said Andy.

I closed the sliding door and said “sweet kid.” I began walking toward the stairs when I came face-to-face with Rachel. “Oh. I didn’t see you there.”

“No worries” said Rachel.

“So, uh, what are you doing?” I asked.

“Well, Sophie finally fell asleep” said Rachel. “I figured I should head back to my room.”

“Will she be OK?” I asked.

“She’ll be fine” said Rachel. “She just has a stomach ache. She just needs to sleep it off.”

“OK” I said. “Well, good night then” I said as we both made our way to our rooms I laid down in my bed staring at the ceiling and just started thinking. The light from the countdown clock made things a bit more difficult, but I was eventually able to fall asleep.

I was awaken soon after from an announcement from Monokuma. “Attention Students! I know it’s night time, but thanks to some medling from your classmate Pierce, a new rule has been added. Also, just a reminder, if you want to save your parents, you have less than an hour to kill someone. Thank you.”

“I hate you so much” I said. “It’s going to take a bit for me to go back to sleep.” I figured I should at least check out this new rule. “Well, as long as I’m up.” I pulled out my monopad and looked at the new rule.

It read “Amendment to the night time rule: You can open the door to anyone’s room, but you can’t cross the doorframe with your feet. Doing that will violate the rules.”

“Huh” I said. “What did Pierce do to warrant this?” I wondered. Suddenly,  heard the phone ring. I looked to my desk and realized it was the phone a few seconds later. I picked it up and said “Hello?” but I heard nothing. “Hello?!” I said again.

The I heard a soft thump and then the click of the phone hanging up. “I guess someone called me on accident” I surmised. “I’ll figure out who in the morning.” I laid back down, thinking about my parents. Sometime later, the countdown clock shut off and it was dark. Our parents were dead, and the best thing I could do was fall asleep.

I was awoken by Monokuma’s morning announcement. “Good morning students! It is now 8 am: Day time. I again want to apologize for the announcement last night. Anyway, as you know the time limit is up for the motive I gave you. I will begin working on a new motive. So in the meantime, you can do your disgusting teen friendship things. Or you can kill someone for the hell of it. Happy Killing!”

_Well, that’s it I guess. Our parents are dead._  “I guess I should see how everyone is doing” I said. I got dressed and walked outside. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jay running off. “What’s that about?” I asked myself. I then ran into Pierce. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s fine” said Pierce. “Neither did I.”

I then saw Andy walk out of Pierce’s room. “Huh?” he said. “Where am I?”

“What’s that about?” I asked Pierce.

“I’ll explain later” Pierce said. “Right now, I’m a little concerned. Did you see the way Jay was running off?”

“Jay is always running off” I said. “I don’t see much unusual about that.”

Just then I heard a shriek ring out. “AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

“Let’s hope you’re right” said Pierce. “Come on Andy” he said, grabbing his arm.

“Huh?!” Pierce and Andy went off in the sound of the scream. I followed behind. We went to the girls hall to see everyone else except Maria.

“Is everything alright?!” asked Pierce.

“MARIA IS MISSING!” cried Elliot.

“WHAT?!” I shouted.

“Yeah” said May. “We were all going to gather for breakfast, but when we opened her room she wasn’t there.”

“HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?!” screamed Roman.

“Settle down!” commanded Cassy. “She’s here somewhere, we just have to look.”  
I thought about it for a second and said “Got it.” I then rushed down the stairs as fast as I could. I ran to the art room and saw Maria silhouetted in the door. I sprinted to the door and opened it. “Thank goodness you’re here Maria. Everyone was worried about you, b-” I then looked up. What I saw in the door was Roman’s statue of Maria. I then turned to the middle of the room and saw something else. Maria’s body was sprawled across her own tapestry on the floor, bleeding out of her neck with a knife right next to her.

Cassy and Pierce came quickly after me. “Don’t just go running off” said Cassy.

Pierce had seen what I had seen and said “We have bigger things to worry about.” Cassy peered through Pierce and I and saw the gruesome sight and turned white.

We heard a chime play and then Monokuma came on the announcements. “Attention Students! A Body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time has passed, a class trial will begin. Please report to the art room immediately for details.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, the first body has dropped. Sorry about the delay, but school is hard. Thankfully, I am currently off for the summer, but I still have work, so it's a toss-up. Hopefully I can get more chapters out in a more timely fashion.
> 
> As for the part itself, I am sad to see Maria go. Well, I'm sad to see anyone go because I created them, but such is the way of Danganronpa. Outside of that though, this was a fun part to write, especially because I know what happens next and I got to lay down some intrigue with that knowledge. Any ideas on what that might be? Or who killed Maria for that matter? Tune in next time to find out more.


	11. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 1: A Smiling Face Betrays the Truth (Part 6)

I couldn’t believe it. Staring me in the face was the body of one of my beloved classmates. How could this happen? How did this happen? Why did this happen?

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice the rest of my classmates converging into the art room until I heard Annabelle cry out “MARIA!”

“No. No it can’t be” said Duke.

“MARIA! MARIA! MARIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Roman called out. “MARIA, WHO COULD HAVE DONE THIS TO YOU?!”

“CLAM DOWN!” shouted Cassy. Everyone turned to her. “Yes, I know it’s troubling, and disturbing, and horrible, but we have to remain calm if we’re going to figure out who did this.”

“Here’s an idea, what if we just don’t?” said Jay.

“WHAT?!” cried Roman with tears in his eyes.

“I mean, Monokuma said that once we get the trial going or whatever, either the killer or everyone else will be killed, right?” said Jay. “So, I think we just don’t investigate to spare us all.”

“Good Sir!” shouted Troy. “Even if we don’t go to Monokuma’s trial, I would prefer to know who would kill someone as gentle as Maria for fun.”

_For…fun?_

“Besides, attendance to the trial is mandatory” said Monokuma who then popped up. “It was a nice effort though. You certainly are brave.”

“I’ll take my chances with my fellow students. At least they’re predictable” said Jay.

“You SAY that,” said Monokuma, “but one of them up and killed Maria.”

“YOU LIE!” shouted Andy. “YOU DID THIS!”

Monokuma stood there in silence. “… Young man, if I did that would mean that I broke the rules. And I wouldn’t do that.”

“BULLSHIT!” shouted Andy. I never thought I would hear him say anything like that. But I see where he’s coming from.

I said “As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think Monokuma would lie about this. He’s been so gung ho on this killing game from the beginning. I don’t think there’s a whole lot that he would want more than one of us deciding to play.”

“Listen to Justin” said Monokuma. “Accept the fact that one of you killed Maria.”

Andy was staring him down more intensely than I could ever have imagined. If he wasn’t already the Ultimate Trivia Expert, I wouldn’t want to be against him on trivia night. Although eventually he gave up and said “…fine.”

“That’s the spirit” said Monokuma. “Now, in order to catch the killer, I will help as much as I can, without revealing who the killer is. And the first step to that is…” Monokuma pulled out a tablet of his own, “DUN DUN NUN NAH! The Monokuma File! I am sending you each a copy now. Any evidence not given in here you have to find during your investigation.”

“Of course” said Cassy. “And how many days do we get to investigate?”

“No more than one-eighth” said Monokuma.

“One-eighth…” said Cassy. “That’s- That’s three hours! That’s not enough time to do any serious investigation work!”

“I know” said Monokuma. “But this is a Killing Game. You’re Supposed to be having investigation FUN!”

“But…but…but” said Cassy.

“I’ll leave you to it then” said Monokuma. “If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to come to me. I will answer your questions to the best of my ability. Oh right. Before I go off, Monobird knows some things about this case, so he’s not allowed to help you investigate. So don’t ask him for help.”

“Does he know who did it?” I asked.

“…You know, I don’t know” said Monokuma. “But it doesn’t matter. He’s not allowed to help you anyway.” Monokuma then slipped away.

“Bastard” I muttered.

I looked at Cassy, and she was still stunned. She kept saying “…but…but…but…”

I went over to her and said “Get a hold of yourself! I know he only gave us three hours, but we have to use that time to figure this out. Otherwise the killer will escape and we’ll all end up dead. Remember, you’re not alone. I’m here, and so is the rest of our class. We can do this together.”

Cassy was settling down. “You’re right” she said. “Except the killer isn’t with us.”

“That just means they’re alone” I said.

“Hm” said Cassy. “You always know what to say when it counts.”

“Thanks?” I said. I wasn’t used to hearing that, exactly. “Anyway, let’s see what the Monokuma File has to say.”

Hello, it’s me. You know? Me! Ah, don’t worry, we’ll meet again later. I’m just popping up here to inform you of something. Due to the nature of this work and how the author writes, there will not be a notification when a truth bullet is collected. Rest assured, they are being collected, but it just makes things easier to implement them later, during the class trial. Huh? “What’s a Truth Bullet?” you ask? Well, you’ll just have to wait and find out, I guess. That is all for now.

We opened up the Monokuma File on our Monopads. It read as follows:

Monokuma File #1

Victim: Maria Albright.

Notes:

-The victim’s body was found in the art room.

-The cause of death was a fatal stab wound to the right side of the neck. Death was near instantaneous.

-No other injuries have been found on the body.

I noticed something odd about the Monokuma File. I looked at Cassy and said “Isn’t it strange?”

“Is what strange?” she asked.

“The Monokuma File doesn’t list a time of death.”

“…So it doesn’t” she said. “What is the significance of that?”

“Well, it’s entirely possible that the murder could have happened before midnight.”

“So…”

“So, there is a chance that our parents are still alive.”

“…Don’t be stupid.”

“I’m not being stupid!”

“Look, it’s not possible. Remember, Monokuma made an announcement before midnight saying no one had killed anyone yet. While it would technically be possible, it would be highly unlikely.”

“I’m just saying it’s something to think about. With no time of death listed, it could be possible.”

“…Let’s just investigate.”

Cassy seemed to be hiding something.  _I won’t bug her about it now. But it does seem very concerning._

“So, who’s going to guard the body?” asked May. “You know, to make sure it doesn’t get tampered with.”

“I shall, good madame” said Troy.

“HOLD UP!” said Tammy. “If you did it, then you can just tamper with the body however you want.”

“That is an excellent point” said Pierce.

“Fine, I’ll help as well” said Jay.

“How can we trust the two of you?” said Tammy. “You’re both so buddy-buddy, how do we know that you won’t cover for one another?”

“Simple” said Jay. “While we are friends, we’re also rivals!”

“Wha?” said Tammy.

“Correct” said Troy. “If one of us did it, we wouldn’t want the other to know. If they knew, that would ensure defeat, and neither of us want that! Isn’t that right, good sir?”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself” said Jay. Both of them had a fire in their eyes.

“OK OK, I get it” said Tammy. “You’re so interested in one-upping each other that you don’t care how it’s done. It’s more scary now.”

Duke was looking intently at the body. “Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Yes, that should do” he said. He promptly walked out of the room.

“What was that about?” asked Cassy.

“We can ask him later” I said. A few other people had disbursed as well. “For now, I want to take a look at the body.”

“Right” said Cassy. We approached the body.

First I looked at the knife. “Isn’t this a knife from the kitchen?” I said.

“I believe so” said Cassy. “I mean, if you wanted to stab someone, a kitchen knife is readily available.”

I looked at it a bit longer. “Hey guys, do you think you can turn her over for a second?”

“What?” said Troy.

“I want to check if the stab wound matches up” I said. “To see if the knife is actually the murder weapon.”

“Oh, I see” said Jay. “Sure… What about you Troy?”

Of course, good sir” said Troy. “But no more than we need to.”

Troy and Jay rolled Maria’s body over for me. I found a rag and picked up the knife and compared the blade with the incision. “I think this matches up…” I said.

Cassy, increasingly frustrated said “Allow me!” and shoved me out of the way, grabbing the knife and the rag. After a few seconds, she said “Yes. They match.” She took a picture of the wound.

“Impressive” I said. “Alright, you can put her down now.” Troy and Jay rolled Maria back to where we found her. “As long as I have you two, can I ask you something?”

“Fire away” said Jay.

“When you were doing dishes, did you happen to notice this knife?” I said, pointing to the murder weapon.

“Well, you see, good sir, um…” said Troy.

“We didn’t” said Jay nervously.

“WHAT?!” said Cassy.

“Well, you see, good madam,” said Troy, “we didn’t find it.”

“Yeah, when we were putting away all of the dishes, it just wasn’t there. So, we categorized it as ‘missing’ in the kitchen” said Jay.

“Oh” said Cassy. “Justin, did you use the knife in your cooking?”

“Well, I could have” I said.

“You don’t remember” said Cassy.

“Well, it’s hard to remember. I made a lot of dishes yesterday. Plus, people were coming in and out of the kitchen all day. It could have been taken then.” I said. Cassy glared at me.

“Go easy on him” said Jay. “He was busy all day yesterday trying to make us feel better. He didn’t know this was going to happen.”

“Indeed” said Troy. “Justin is a noble soul, and had he known, he would have done everything in his power to stop it.”

“OK, I get it!” said Cassy. “You two really like Justin. I’m just under a lot of stress.”

_Well, at least she’s not frozen in a sea of “buts.”_  “Well, that at least gives us something to work with” I said. “Although we should talk with May and Roman to verify that claim.”

“Agreed” said Cassy.

I next examined Maria’s body itself. “Looking at things, I don’t think the Monokuma File is lying” I said. “Although the time of death isn’t stated, which is troubling.”

“Well, do you have any idea on how to narrow the time frame down?” asked Cassy

I looked at her and said “Well, now that you mention it, you’re a detective, right?”

“Get to the point” said Cassy.

“Can you tell if rigor mortis has set it?” I asked.

“Of-OF COURSE I CAN!” she shouted, embarrassed that she forgot. She looked over the body. “Rigor Mortis has indeed set in.”

“So, now we at least have a window of time” I said. “Sometime between Monokuma’s late night announcement…”

“…and four in the morning” said Cassy. “Which, it would be a miracle if it was before midnight.”

“…I know what you mean, but I would refrain from using the word ‘miracle’ when talking about murder” I said. Cassy looked distraught. I then remembered the content of the announcement. “Hey, maybe we should ask Pierce about what he was up to” I said. “He could know something.”

“I agree” said Cassy, quickly regaining her composure. She looked determined. Perhaps she thought Pierce did it.

I looked at the tapestry last when it came to the body area. “What a shame” I said. “Such a lovely piece; ruined by murder. Although, it IS odd.”

“What is?” asked Cassy.

“The fact that the tapestry is here at all” I said. “Last night, I was in the art room, hanging out with Maria, and she told me that it was hung up in the gym.”

“WHAT?!” said Cassy. “But I didn’t see it when I went into the gym last night! …!”

I looked at her. “Why did you go to the gym last night?” I asked.

“I-My reasons are my own” said Cassy.

“That’s not helping” I said.

“Well, why do I need to say it?” she asked.

“So I know you didn’t do it” I replied.

“Wha-Of COURSE I didn’t do it. Just ask Monobird” she said.

“Unfortunately, you forgot that I technically can’t” I said. Cassy was stunned. “Well, whatever” I said. “I still don’t think you did it, but it does look very suspicious. More importantly, what time did you go to the gym?”

“… About quarter to midnight.”

“So, between when they hung it up during the day and a quarter to midnight, the tapestry was taken down, and no one seemed to have noticed until now” I said. “Interesting. But why have this at all?” I asked

“Pardon?” said Cassy.

“Well, it just seems odd” I said. “If you’re going to stab someone why do it on the tapestry? Why not leave it up and just leave her on the floor?”

“That is a good point” said Cassy.

I think that was all I could examine around the body area, but there were a few things I wanted to look at around the room. I looked over at the desk Andy was drawing last night. I picked up the drawing he was diligently working on. It looks mostly finished, but some of it needed to be filled in. Still, it looked good. Maria would be proud.

“What’s that?” asked Cassy.

“Oh, this?” I said. “Andy was working on it last night.”

“Andy?” said Cassy. “He was in here last night?”

“Well, yeah. He came here with Pierce” I said. “But Pierce left. Then Maria. And then I left.”

“So, for a period of time, Andy was alone in the art room” said Cassy.

“You suspecting him?” I asked.

“Well, it is suspicious” said Cassy.

_I can’t deny that. Although, this does bring up another mystery._ “While it is peculiar that Andy was alone in the art room last night, doesn’t it strike you more odd that Maria wasn’t in here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m just saying, we found Maria’s body in here. But she had previously left the art room. So when did she return?”

“…That’s a good question. What time did she leave?”

“Just after the nighttime announcement”

“So, she entered this room again sometime after that, but before four in the morning. Interesting.”

The other thing I wanted to look at was the statue in front of the door. This was possibly the most confusing thing in here. “Why is this here?” I said.

“Was it not there last night?” asked Cassy.

“It wasn’t.”

“That is strange.”

“Roman said something about a cooler in here. Maybe whoever moved it left behind something.”

“So let’s look for it.”

We looked around the room. In the back there was a door. We opened it, and sure enough, it was here.

“So here it is” said Cassy. The room was mostly empty. There were indents to show where the figure had stood previously, as well as a little card indicating what the statue was.

“‘Maria #1000’ by Roman Grace” I said, holding up the card.

“Well, he certainly knows what he likes” said Cassy.

“Still, it seems weird that this card is as intact as it is” I said. “Whoever moved the statue from here left the card prestine.”

“I see” said Cassy. “Maybe we should see how heavy the statue is. If it’s easy to move, then leaving the card alone could be easily explained. If it’s heavy, we’d need to figure out who can move it, and who can move it gracefully.”

“That’s a good idea” I said. We left the room and made our way back to the statue. I tried picking it up, but… “Ghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! It’s too heavy.”

“Here, let me try” said Cassy. Cassy tried picking it up. “No good. It’s heavy. Troy! Jay! Come try picking up the statue. Justin and I will take over on guarding the body.”

“OK,” said Jay.

“Very well, good madam” said Troy. We watched as Troy and Jay picked up the statue. They could pick it up just fine. “How was that, good madam?” asked Troy.

“That-That was incredible” said Cassy.

“Eh, it was nothing special” said Jay. “It was heavy, but it wasn’t too heavy.”

“Indeed, good sir” said Troy. “I feel like I could move it around if I wanted too. But maybe not too much.”

“Alright, thanks for your input” said Cassy. “That’s four down, eleven to go.”

“Wait!” I said.

“What is it?” said Cassy.

“Remember, we only have a limited amount of time to investigate. We can’t rally everyone here and investigate elsewhere in that time.” Cassy looked afraid again.  _Uh-oh! I gotta say something fast! Ah! That’s it!_ “Cassy, there is another way of getting a good idea of who can and can’t move the statue!”

“Wha- How?” said Cassy on the verge of tears.

“Remember! We had the arm wrestling competition a few days ago. We can use the results to guess who can and can’t move the statue” I said. “You and I both never won a match, and neither of us could move the statue. But Troy and Jay got rather far, and they could move the statue. We can determine a list of candidates from there.”

Cassy was still a bit down. “But how do we get that?” asked Cassy.

“We can just ask Elliot for the brackets” I said. “I know it isn’t exact, but it’s the best we can do.”

Cassy looked at me and said “You’re right. You’re right. God, this whole situation sucks!”

I couldn’t deny that. But if we were going to get through it, everyone would need to remain as calm as possible. “Right, let’s keep investigating, and we can ask Elliot when we see her.”

“Right.” said Cassy.

“Before we leave,” I said, “Troy, Jay, do you remember anything that you did after the nighttime announcement?”

“I was sleeping, good sir” said Troy.

“Same” said Jay. “I was pretty tired after all those dishes.”

We left the art room. “Where should we investigate next?”

“I think we should check out the gym” I said. “To see if we can find any evidence of who took the tapestry down.”

Cassy was shocked again “Oh, right” said Cassy. We made our way over, but before we could even enter the gym, I noticed that the door was off the hinges.

“What is that?” I asked.

“Oh, well, uh, you see” said Cassy.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I don’t know if I can tell you” said Cassy.

“Why not?”

“Because… well… um….”

“Just spit it out!”

“You know, you can always ask me if you’re confused” said Monokuma, poofing into existence again. “I’m always happy to help.”

“GAH!” I said.

“So, what would you like to ask me, missy?” said Monokuma.

Cassy stared him down for a minute. “Do Monobird’s action count as having happened?”

“Of course” said Monokuma. “After all, he  exists, doesn’t he? It’s just he can’t tell you who did it, or if you didn’t do it. And since I know what you’re talking about, I will allow it.”

“Allow what?” I said.

“Well, when I had gotten here the door was like this as well” said Cassy. “I had entered, and Monobird told me he knocked the door over himself because it was locked.”

“Intriguing” I said. “Why was it locked in the first place? And how?”

“I don’t know about the first question,” said Cassy, “but if you look closer, you can see how.”

I looked down and say a bunch of metal objects. “What are those?” I asked.

“You idiot” said Cassy. “Those are parts of a chain.”

A chain?

“If you look further in, you’ll see the padlock” said Cassy.

“Well, let’s do that” I said.

“Don’t forget, you can come to me with any questions you have” said Monokuma. He then left.

We walked into the gym. Annabelle, Buck, Tammy, and Monobird were in there. They were all looking at the middle of the gym.

“Alright, let’s investigate” I said. I first took Cassy’s advice and looked close to the door on the other side. Sure enough I saw more of the chain and the padlock. “Interesting” I said.

“I don’t know who put it up there” said Cassy, defensively.

“Well, do you know where they go it?” asked.

“Probably from the supply closet in the back of the gym” said Cassy. “I mean, that’s where you got the basketball from, right?”

“I wasn’t really involved in that aspect” I said.

“Well, we can just ask Buck then” said Cassy. “He’d probably know.”

“Well, let’s do that” I said. We approached Buck. “Hey Buck!” I shouted

“What’s up?” said Buck.

I showed him the chain and padlock “Do you think this could have come from the storage room?” I asked.

Buck looked it over. “Holy shit” he said.

“What is it?” asked Cassy.

“That was definitely in there” said Buck. “I can even show you where it was.”

“Please” I said.

“Follow me” said Buck. Cassy and I followed him into a room in the back of the gym. Looking though it, it was like any gym storage room. It had balls for different sports, other types of sports equipment on different racks, and some other stuff. Buck pointed us toward a rack of bike locks. “This is where I saw it when I was helping get the ladder out for yesterday’s tapestry hanging ceremony.”

We looked at the rack. They had different sets of bike locks laid out, and it was obvious one was missing. “Well, clearly it was taken” I said.

“Look closer” said Cassy. I looked at the rack. “Not at the rack” she said. “Over here.” She pointed to a set of hooks next to the rack. “These are the keys for these bike locks” she said.

I looked them over and said “OK.”

“So, one of them is missing as well” she said.

“Uh-huh” I said.

“So, there’s a high probability that whoever took it still has it” said Cassy.

“Make sense” I said.

“So that person would be the killer” she concluded.

“I see…” I said. “Wait… WHAAAAAAAAAT?!”

“Why are you shocked?” asked Cassy.

“I just…I didn’t think of the connection” I said. “But you’re right. Whoever took it would have had the tapestry and therefore would have been the killer.”

“Thanks for catching up to thirty seconds ago” said Cassy.

“Right” I said, taking the burn. I turned to Buck and said “So, you said you got a ladder for this?”

“Hell yeah!” he said.

“Where is it in here?” I asked. “I don’t see it.”

“Wha? It’s right there” he said, pointing to a direction.

“Where?” I said. “Behind that step-ladder?”

“No. That IS the ladder, fuckhead!” said Buck. “Ah, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright” I said. “But you should have just said ‘step-ladder.’ It makes it easier for all of us.”

“No, I knew what he meant” said Cassy. “And personally, I would call that a ladder.”

“But it’s a step-ladder’” I said.

“You really need to stop judging things based on your narrow-minded assumptions” said Cassy.

“Wait” I said.

“What is it?” asked Cassy.

“I don’t know what it is…” I said, “but I don’t think this is our thing.”

Cassy was surprised. “What do you mean ‘our thing’?”

“…I don’t know” I said.

“Whatever” said Cassy. “Let’s just look it over.” We examined the step-ladder.

“I think there’s only so much we can do with it in here” I said. “Buck, can you help us carry it out again?”

“SURE THING!” he shouted. He picked it up and we walked out.

“Just place it where it was during the tapestry hanging ceremony” I said.

“OK!” he shouted. He then set it up.

Before we continued our examination of the ladder, we decided to ask some qustions. I began with “So, what was it like at the ceremony?”

“Oh, it was great” said Tammy. “Maria gathered everyone, and we all gathered in here as she hung up the tapestry.”

“Everyone except Cassy and me” I said.

“‘Cassy and I’“ said Cassy. I ignored that, and it looked like everyone else did too.

Tammy said “Well Maria thought you would be busy, and Cassy said ‘no.’”

“I was nervous about our parents dying, and I was already in a mood about going to Justin’s thing.”

“So I had heard” I said.

Cassy was shocked. “What did you hear?” she asked.

“Maria told me you called my party ‘stupid’” I told her.

“Well, it was… until it wasn’t” said Cassy.

“Tammy you forgot something” said Annabelle. “Monobird wasn’t there either.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes” said Monobird. “A new shipment of supplies came in yesterday and I had to oversee that during the time of the ceremony.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right” said Tammy. “I met up with you later and told you about Justin’s thing.”

“Correct” said Monobird. “Also, I’ve told these three this already, but Justin and Cassy, forgive me if I am not as candid as I usually am. I was informed of the tragedy and that I could not be of assistance.”

“Understood” said Cassy.

I did have questions for Monobird that I thought was safe to ask, but I needed to be sure. So I sighed and reluctantly called out “Hey Monokuma!”

“You rang?” he said popping up.

“What are you doing?” asked Cassy.

“Get that nightmare creature out of here!” screamed Tammy.

“I am flattered” said Monokuma.

“I just want to ask Monobird some questions, but I don’t know if it would trip any wires. So I figure I can have you here to tell Monobird which questions he can and cannot answer.”

“Oh, I get it” said Monokuma. “Like I’m his lawyer.”

“Sure” I said. “I mean, technically, you are the rules lawyer of this killing game.”

“Ooooooooo. I LIKE it when you put it that way” aid Monokuma. “Fire away, Mr. Questions Man!”

“Thanks” I said with indignation. I turn to Monobird and asked “So, how did you break down the door once it was locked?”

Monobird looked at Monokuma and Monokuma nodded. “I rammed it” said Monobird.

“And after that you didn’t notice anything odd about the gym itself?”

Monokuma nodded again. Monobird said ”I wasn’t present for the tapestry hanging ceremony, nor was I informed of it. When I entered and saw the nothing changed from when I last saw the gym, I didn’t think anything of it, other than the fact that it was odd that the gym was locked in the first place.”

“OK” I said. “And what time did this occur?”

“Hold it!” shouted Monokuma. “He can’t answer that.”

“I can though, right?” said Annabelle.

“Yes, you can answer that” said Monokuma.

“You know when it happened?” asked Cassy.

“Well, not exactly” said Annabelle. “But I know it was after the nighttime announcement.”

“Yeah” said Buck. “After dinner a few of us gathered here for a bit. The tapestry was still up during that time.”

“None of us left until the nighttime announcement” said Annabelle. “So, it would have to be after that when Monobird broke the door down.”

Monobird looked at Monouma. “You can confirm that” said Monokuma.

“That it correct. It was after 10 pm” said Monobird.

“So, who all was there?” I asked.

“Let’s see” said Annabelle. “There was me, Buck, Elliot, and Duke.”

“So, where we you Tammy?” asked Cassy.

“Um, I just went back to my room” said Tammy. “Like you did.”

“…Right” said Cassy.

I had an idea “Let’s investigate where the tapestry was hung” I said.

“I was just about to suggest that” said Cassy, beginning to climb the step-ladder.

“Um, Cassy” I said.

“What is it?” she responded impatiently.

“Um, it’s just that you’re going up a step-ladder in a skirt” I said.

“… Oh. Yes you are correct” said Cassy, getting off the step-ladder. “Well then you have at it.”

“OK” I said. “And sorry you don’t get to investigate.”

“Just investigate” she said, annoyed.

“Right” I said, climbing the step-ladder. I made it to the top and saw the set-up that was used to hang the tapestry. It was simple, yet delicate. Two pieces of thread were tied to the hook. In theory, the two pieces of thread were tied to the tapestry and that would keep it up. “Interesting” I said.

“WHAT IS IT?!” shouted Cassy.

“Hold on!” I said, as I began climbing down. I then explained the set up.

“What makes that interesting?” asked Cassy.

“Well, with it being in the state of what it is, whoever took it down was very delicate with the procedure. Which leads me to believe that it’s possible that Maria herself took it down” I said.

“HOLD THE FUCK UP!” said Buck. “Maria’s the one that’s dead! Why would she take it down?”

“Yeah, that doesn’t make sense at all” said Annabelle.

“Well, as much as I hate to think this,” said Cassy, “maybe she was planning to kill instead, and it didn’t work.”

“NO!” shouted Tammy. “I refuse to believe that!”

“Well, it could als be a suicide” I said.

“It could” said Monokuma. “That is an option.”

“You’re still here?” said Buck.

“I figured I’d follow these two oddballs around, since they seem to be the ones fully embracing the game” said Monokuma.

“We are too” said Buck. “We’re just not as good.”

“You’re seriously going to just follow us?” I asked.

“Of course” said Monokuma. “It’s just easier for me to be here always if you have questions, instead of popping in and out every five minutes.”

“True” said Cassy.

I chimed in and said “Did you have to call us oddballs though?”

“Well, I could have called you something else, but you two would be shocked by it” said Monokuma.

“Fair enough” I said.

“Then ONWARD HO!” said Monokuma. “Also, remember, I’m a neutral party in all of this. I will only help as much as I deem fit.”

“To me, you’re just an enemy that is helping us” said Cassy.

“If you want to think about it that way, then go for it” said Monokuma. “I’m neutral, so I don’t care if you die.”

“I don’t care if you die either” said Cassy.

“Aww, ain’t that sweet” said Monokuma.

“Anyway, before we leave, do you three remember anything from last night after the nighttime announcement?” I asked.

“I was asleep before the announcement even rang out” said Tammy.

“I was asleep too” said Buck. “But I fell asleep after the nighttime announcement.”

“Same” said Annabelle. “I mean, I briefly woke up due to the announcement in the middle of the night, but that was it.”

“Wait, what announcement?” said Tammy.

Buck turned to her and said “Monokuma did mention something about that. I didn’t hear it though.”

“It was just a rule announcement” said Annabelle. “I was too tired to check on it for myself, so I decided to leave it until morning. Plus, I would have had to put my glasses on, and that takes time I didn’t want to waste.”

“Of course” said Cassy. “It’s the same with me and my contacts.”

“Alright” I said. “Thank you for your time and effort.”

“No problem” said Buck. “I hope we catch this motherfucker!”

Cassy, Monokuma, and I headed out of the gym. “Let’s check the dining area next” said Cassy. “The murder weapon was there. Maybe we can find something that can point us to the killer.”

“Agreed” I said.

“Agreed” said Monokuma. We both looked at him confused. “What?”

“Just because you’re following us doesn’t make you part of our group” said Cassy.

“Oh, so you and Justin are a group, huh?” said Monokuma. “I wonder if there’s another word for that.” Cassy got visibly mad.

“Leave him be” I said. “He’s just a nuisance at this point.”

“How rude” said Monokuma.

We entered the dining area and found May and Elliot there. “Oh hi Justin” said Elliot. “Hi Cassy.” she saw Monokuma following us. “Erm, what is he doing here?”

“I’m helping” said Monokuma.

“He’s being lazy” I said. “He just doesn’t want to pop back and forth whenever we have questions about what we can and can’t pursue.”

“Hey it’s not my fault” said Monokuma. “THese two have a lot of questions. It’s almost as if they were born to play this game.”

“Elliot, we have something we want to ask you” Cassy said, ignoring Monokuma, though clenching her fists.

“What is it?” asked Elliot.

“Do you still have the standings from the arm wrestling contest?” asked Cassy.

“Oh, sure” said Elliot. “Do you need it?”

“We would appreciate it, yes” said Cassy.

“OK!” said Elliot. “Why don’t you two meet me at my room and I’ll give it to you there, along with anything else you need.”

“Not this again” said Cassy.

“Relax, I’m being serious this time” said Cassy. “I mean, Maria just died. That’s no time to be joking.”

“You still seem chipper though” I said.

“Well, it’s important to maintain a positive attitude” said Elliot.

“I see” I said.

“Hold on” said Cassy. “Why can’t you get it and come back?”

Elliot said “Well, May said she was done with her investigation here, so I figure you’d want to compare note. And you’re probably heading that way anyway, right? I’ll just save you guys some time this way.”

“I see” said Cassy. “Duly noted.”

“Thank you” said Elliot, as she left for her room.

We turned to May. “Uh, yes?” she said.

“We want to ask you about last night” I said.

“And this investigation Elliot said you did” said Cassy.

“Oh, right” said May. “Well, I guess I should start with last night. As you know, Troy, Jay, Roman, and I were doing the dishes. Of course, Troy and Jay turned it into a competition.”

[In the Past]

“Yo Troy! Let’s see who can clean the most dishes!” shouted Jay.

“Agreed, good sir” said Troy.

[In the Present]

_Of course. Everything is a competition with those two._  “So who won?” I asked.

“Amazingly, it was tie” said May.

_Of course._

“Well, Roman and I were also doing dishes as well” said May. “But those two did a lot of the work.”

“So, who discovered the knife was missing?” asked Cassy.

“Oh, I did” said May. “but I assure you, I didn’t take it” she said nervously.

“We believe you” said Cassy. “For now.” May was even more nervous.

“What Cassy means to say is that this is a complicated situation. No one has been taken off the suspect board yet in her mind. Not even me.”

Cassy was shocked. “How did you figure?”

“You’ve been following me around” I said. “You figure that either I or Pierce are the most difficult people to deal with if we were the killer. Pierce however is hard to read, so you figure you want to catch him off guard. Meanwhile, while I am mysterious, I am easier to read, and possibly more crafty. Is that about right?”

Cassy was stunned. “How did you figure all that out?”

“You were so busy trying to get a read on me, you didn’t notice that I was getting a read on you too” I said.

“Of course” said Cassy. “That’s what makes you dangerous.”

“And that makes you not a suspect. In my mind at least” I said.

“Well, we can agree on that” said Cassy.

“Um, anyway…” said May. “About my investigation…”

“Oh, yes, go ahead” said Cassy.

“I tried to investigate the kitchen to see if anything had changed from last night” said May. “But it hadn’t.”

“I see” said Cassy.

“Thanks for the information” I said. “By the way, do you remember anything from last night after the nighttime announcement?”

“Um not really” said May. “I just went to sleep.”

“OK, thank you for your time” Isaid.

“Of course” said May.

We left as quickly as we entered. Not much was picked up in terms of information. But still, anything was helpful at this point. “Should we head upstairs?” said Cassy.

“Yeah” I said. We walked up the stairs. We headed towards the girls side first. “Hey, before we see Elliot, let’s check Maria’s room. Maybe we can find something there.”

“Agreed” said Cassy. We entered the room to find Sophie and Rachel already investigating.

“Oh hi” said Cassy.

“What brings you here?” said Rachel.

“We’re investigation” said Cassy.

“I know” said Rachel. “I was talking to the bear.”

_Right. I forgot he was even there._  “He’s just following us around” I said. “Pay no attention to him. I know I haven’t.”

“Sure thing” said Rachel.

“You’re going to have another question eventually” said Monokuma. “And then you’ll thank me that I’m here.”

“I’ll find it handy, but that’s about it” I told him. “The minute I thank you, you can kill me.”

“It’s a deal” said Monokuma.

“So, what have been the fruits of your labor?” asked Cassy.

“It’s really more of Sophie’s thing” said Rachel. “Just tell them what you told me.”

“Oh, um, OK” said Sophie nervously. “Well…I was in the nurse’s office for a while. Until about two in the morning. When I got up, I was feeling better. So I decided to go back to my room. But on my way back, I noticed that Maria’s door was open slightly.”

“It was open?” asked Cassy.

“Yeah” said Sophie. “I was worried, so I peaked my head in. Maria was just sleeping though. I tried calling to her to see if she was alright. But she was sound asleep. I closed the door and went right to my room. And now she’s dead” she said with tears in her eye. “I should have done something.”

“Like I said, there was nothing you could do” said Rachel.

“Exactly” said Cassy. “But, I get it.”

“*sniff* You do?” asked Sophie.

“Of course” said Cassy. “I felt the same way after my parents died. I understand completely.”

“*sniff* Thank you” said Sophie.

“So, um, did you find anything in here?” I asked, nervously.

“Well, when Sophie told me that story, I figured we had to investigate, but we couldn’t find much in here” said Rachel.

“Yeah, all we found were these bits of dirt or something on her bed” said Sophie, handing it to us.

“What do you want us to do with that?” said Cassy.

“I dunno. I figured You’d have a baggie or something for things like that” said Sophie.

“I do” said Cassy, “but it’s in my room.”

“You can grab it quick” I said.

“I guess I will” said Cassy. She then left quickly.

“Still, it’s strange” I said. “Why was that on her bed?”

“Huh. That’s a good question” said Sophie.

“I’ve tried to determine the origin of it, but nothing in the room matches with this” said Rachel.

“So, it had to come from outside the room” I said. “But when?”

Cassy came back. “I grabbed it as fast as I could” she said. We put it in a baggy, and I filled her in on what we just talked about. “I see” said Cassy. “Thanks for your help.”

“Sure thing” said Sophie.

“Whatever helps us solve this” said Rachel. “Wait, before you go, there was something else.”

“What?” said Cassy.

“The phone” said Rachel.

“The phone?” I said.

“Oh yeah” said Sophie. There was a message on it.”

Sophie pressed the button on the phone and it said “PLAYING MESSAGES! 1 MESSAGE! 9:55 PM!”

“Hey Maria” said Roman’s voice coming out of the phone. “Listen, I was wondering if we could change the meeting place to my room instead of your room. I know you invited me and all, but I’m a little tired out from doing dishes. If you’re tired as well, you don’t have to, but you have a standing invitation to my room tonight if you do. Thanks sweetie.”

“Well, that was interesting” said Cassy.

“Indeed” I said. “Maria would have still been in the art room at that time. We should ask Roman about that.”

“Agreed” said Cassy.

I noticed something next to the phone. “hold on” I said, picking it up. “Is this what I think it is?” I said, showing it to Cassy.

Cassy looked at it and said “I believe it is. They key to the lock used to lock the gym.”

“What’s it doing here?” I asked.

“You two!” Cassy shouted. “Did anyone else come in here?”

“No” said Rachel. “Although we hand’t noticed that either.”

“Yeah” said Sophie. “We didn’t place it there or anything.” Cassy glared at them.

“Don’t worry” I said. “Cassy’s just doing her job. If you did do it, then you have nothing to worry about.

“Oh” said Sophie. “Thank you.”

“Thanks” said Rachel.

We said our goodbyes to Sophie and Rachel. We then left the room, and just as he predicted, I had another question for him. “Hey Monokuma” I said.

“Ooh, a question. I knew it had to come sometime” said Monokuma.

“Does the nighttime rule apply to the rooms of dead people?” I asked.

“Nope” said Monokuma. “Once someone’s dead, you can’t sneak up on them anymore, so it’d be foolish to have that rule apply to them. Why. Were you thinking of going in Maria’s room and looking through her delicates?”

“No!” I said confidently. Cassy slapped me. “Ow. I said no.”

“Still…” she said.

“Still what?” I wondered.

“It’s nothing” said Cassy.

“I have a question for you now” said Monokuma. “Why didn’t you question their whereabouts?”

“Yeah, that is odd, now that I think about it” said Cassy.

“Sophie was in the nurse’s office and told us what happened from there, and I walked up the stairs with Rachel. Even if she heard your announcement, it could be just like the case with Annabelle or myself that we were too tired to do much else” I said.

“Oh. I guess that makes sense” said Cassy, thinking.

We made our way to Elliot’s room and knocked on the door. “I’ll be there in a minute” she said from behind the door. She opened the door and said “Just who I was expecting. You wanted these, right?” she asked, handing us the standings of the arm wrestling contest

“Yes. This will be very helpful” said Cassy.

“How so?” asked Elliot.

“Well, we can use this as an baseline to figure out who could and could not move the Maria statue” I sad. “Most likely the killer did it, so figuring out who couldn’t takes some people off the table.”

“Gotcha” said Elliot.

Cassy was studying the standings. I said “Well, as long as we’re here, would you mind telling us about last night?”

“Of course” said Elliot. “Well, after the dinner, I headed to the gym, along with Buck, Duke, and Annabelle.”

“Right, we’ve heard as much” I said. “What did you do there?”

Elliot said “Not much, really. Just some exercising and stuff. Although, that was just me and Buck.”

“‘Buck and I’” said Cassy, trying to correct her.

“Actually, she was right” I said. “A simple rule to remember when to do that is take out the other person. She could have said ‘It was just me’ and it still would make grammatical sense. Also, if it were switched, it would be ‘Buck and myself,’ not ‘Buck and I.’” Cassy was stunned and went back to looking through the tournament standings.

“Riiiiiight” said Elliot. “As I was saying, Buck and I were the only ones exercising. Annabelle and Duke just watched and hung out by themselves.”

“I see” I said. “And what happened after you left?”

“I went to sleep” said Elliot.

“Alright” I said. “Thank you for your time.”

“Mind if we keep these?” said Cassy.

“I don’t mind. Go ahead” said Elliot.

“Thanks” said Cassy.

“Sure thing” said Elliot.

We left to go to the boys side now. There were still a few people we needed to talk to. When we approached, we saw Duke looking around. “I guess everyone else is in their rooms” said Cassy.

Just then Pierce and Andy walked out of Pierce’s room. “Oh, hi” said Pierce. Cassy glared at Pierce. “It’s nice to see you too” said Pierce.

“Hey Pierce” I said. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“Sure, but first,” said Pierce, “what’s the horrible bear doing here?”

“He’s just following us around because he thinks it’s easier” I said.

“Whatever floats his boat, I guess” said Pierce.

“The only thing that floats my boat is your blood” said Monokuma.

“You’re not even trying to be scary anymore” said Pierce.

“Who said I was scary?” said Monokuma. “I just want you all dead. That’s only scary if you fear death.”

“What did you want to ask?” said Pierce.

“So I saw the new rule that came about last night. Monokuma mentioned that you were responsible for it. What was that about?” I asked.

“Ah that” said Pierce. “I was just explaining that to Andy here.” Andy peered from behind him. “See, I woke up for a bit and went to check on Andy in the art room. When I went in though, I saw him asleep with his drawing. I couldn’t just leave him there. So, I decided to take him up to his room. However, I ran into a problem.”

“Monokuma’s nighttime rule” said Cassy.

“Exactly” said Pierce. “So, I called out to the stuffed monstrocity and asked him about specifics. In the end though, the only way to get him into his bed was by throwing him in. I didn’t want to do that, sine he would wake up, I just invited him into my room and have him sleep in my bed.”

“Where did you sleep?” I asked.

“On the floor” said Pierce. “To be honest, I was going to explain it to Andy sooner, but then this whole muder thing came up. You saw how he was right after the discovery. He wasn’t in any state to figure things out. So I had to calm him down.”

“Um, thank you for that by the way” said Andy. “And for letting me use your bed.”

“I don’t mind” said Pierce. “Think nothing of it.”

Cassy continued to glare at him. “Cassy” I said. “I think that’s all we can get out of him for now.”

“I mean, if you want, you can ask another question” said Pierce.

“When you got down there, did anything seem off?” said Cassy.

“Well, the statue wasn’t moved when I got down there, if that’s what you mean” said Pierce. “However, I did notice the door was knocked down to the gym. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I just thought it was open.”

“Why would it be open?” asked Cassy.

“Well, Monobird was in there” said Pierce. “Maybe someone went to see him.”

“Alright” said Cassy. “I thank you for your time.”

“You’re welcome” said Pierce.

It looked like Duke was still busy, so we decided to knock on Roman’s door and see if we could get to talk to him. We knocked on the door gently. “Roman” I said. “It’s Justin and Cassy. We would like to speak with you.” Roman opened the door. “I know this might be hard for you” I said, “But we just want to ask you some questions.”

Roman looked depressed. “Sure, go ahead” he said.

“Well, we’ve heard about it from everyone else already,” said Cassy, “but first we would like to ask about the dishwashing.”

“Right” said Roman. “Um, well, Troy and Jay did a lot of the dishes, but May and I helped out where we could. May noticed the knife was missing and we panicked. We searched the kitchen, but couldn’t find anything. So we decided to leave it for now. If only we didn’t.”

“Right. That matches up with everyone else’s story” said Cassy.

“So, what did you do afterward?” I said.

“Well, Maria and I had planned to meet in her room,” said Roman, “but I wanted to change plans because doing dishes took a lot out of me. Not to mention the impending deaths of our parents. I called her room, but she wasn’t there.”

“That also matches up with what we have learned” said Cassy.

“She didn’t end up stopping by though” said Roman. “So, I just went to bed.”

“Hmm” said Cassy.

“What, you don’t think I did it, do you?” said Roman

“Well, I’m not taking anyone off my list of suspects just yet” said Cassy.

“That’s insane!” said Roman. “You think I DID IT?!”

“Roman, she’s a detective” I said. “She’s just doing her job. How many news stories have you heard of where lovers kill each other?”

“…I guess” said Roman. “But still, I am offended!”

“No one wants to be in this situation” I said. “I think we’re all offended.”

“…That’s true” said Roman.

“Have you found anything of use?” said Cassy.

“Not really…” said Roman. “I was so distraught that I couldn’t think straight until you guys showed up. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I would made made it to the trial.”

“Then I would have just killed you right where you stand” said Monokuma.

“GAH What’s HE doing here?” said Roman.

“Apparently being lazy most of the time, but helpful some of the time” said Monokuma.

“He’s there to answer our questions” I explained.

“Oh. OK.” said Roman.

“Anyway, thanks for telling us all that” I said. “It brings us one step closer to catching Maria’s killer.”

“Thanks” said Roman, going back into his room.

“ALRIGHT!” said Duke, loudly. “I searched as much of the school as I could!”

Cassy and I exchanged a look and then approached him. “So,” said Cassy, “what did you find?”

“Oh, Justin and Cassy” said Duke, somewhat surprised. “Yes, well, I suppose this information would be pertinent to the case, so you should know. I’ve search every inch of this school as I could with my special eyes.”

“Your special eyes?” said Cassy.

“He can see some chemical compositions and stuff that most people can’t see” I said.

“Right you are!” said Duke. “But while I can do it, there are some limits to it. For instance, I need something to compare it to if I want to look for smaller things. Things such as traces of blood. Which I found none of when searching the school.”

“Why would you be looking for that?” asked Cassy.

“Fool! If someone killed someone somewhere else and moved the body, then knowing where they were killed would be useful” said Duke.

“OK, I get it” said Cassy.

“So, you couldn’t find blood anywhere else in the school?” I asked.

“Well, in all the places I could look” said Duke.

“What places could you not look?” asked Cassy.

“Well, I didn’t really look in most of the student’s room” said Duke. “Just some who left their door unlocked this morning. Namely Justin, Andy, Pierce, Sophie, and Maria, of course.”

“Pierce, Andy, and I were the last ones to join the group before we discovered Maria was missing. We didn’t have time to lock our doors. Furthermore, Andy didn’t even sleep in his room last night” I said. “And I guess Sophie just left her door open on accident.”

“I see” said Duke. “I also didn’t get too far in my search in the girl’s restroom downstairs.”

“Wait, why were you searching the girl’s restroom?” asked Cassy.

“To find blood” said Duke. “Pay attention! Now, I didn’t get very far because May was using the bathroom and rudely asked me to get out before I could finish investigating.”

“I think she had a point” I said.

“I was explaining that I was just investigating!” said Duke. “But she didn’t understand.”

“Well, you are a bit odd” said Cassy. “It would make sense to think that you were in there for other reasons.”

“Look who’s talking” said Duke.

“Excuse me?” said Cassy.

“You’re a tad odd too” said Duke. “But I be no one would complain about you being in the girl’s bathroom for investigation purposes.”

“…Of course not…Because I’m a girl…and a detective…” said Cassy.

“Lucky” said Duke.

“It’s things like that that make you seem odd” I said. “But, that’s neither here nor there at the moment. Mainly what I’m wondering is if anyone did anything last night that could help us figure out who did it.”

“Oh, I know something” said Duke.

“Really?” I asked. “Do tell.”

“Well, I don’t know if you know this, but last night your tagalong buddy right there made an announcement” said Duke.

“We do” I said.

“OK, so soon after, I was thirsty, and wanted to grab a water bottle from the dining area” said Duke. “HOWEVER, when I first opened the door without my glasses on, I saw something weird.”

“What was it?” I asked.

“I saw someone standing in the hall whith a lot of fabric on them, but they didn’t seem to have heat exhaustion of any kind” said Duke.

“So, who was it?” asked Cassy.

“Duke can’t see all that well without his glasses” I said. “So he doesn’t know.”

“Exactly” said Duke. “I rushes to get my glasses on, but when I put them on, the person was gone. I was so surprised by this that I froze for a minute. But then I remembered I needed to get water, and I got it. I didn’t notice the gym door at the time, because I was completely bamboozled trying to figure out the fabric-wearing person.”

“I guess that’s fair” said Cassy. “But still, you went downstairs in the middle of the night. That makes you a potential suspect.”

“Didn’t I just explain that I exhaustively searched the school for blood?” said Duke. “You need to work on your observation skills.”

“And you need to work on your deductive reasoning” said Cassy. “Because since you have those special eyes, you’re the only one who could possibly see small traces of blood.”

“You’re starting to get it” said Duke.

“Which means that you could have been saying you were searching for blood to cover your tracks” said Cassy.

“Oh” said Duke. “Yeah, I can see how you would come to that conclusion.”

“Well, we don’t have any concrete evidence for anyone just yet” I said. “So, for now, all we can do is take your investigation at face value. However, if you’re not telling the truth, we will figure it out.”

“I see” said Duke. “Well, have a good rest of the investigation. I need some water.” Duke left to get some water.

“Now what?” I asked.

“Now I want to ask you something” said Cassy.

“What is it?”

“Did YOU notice anything suspicious last night?”

“Ah. Well, I guess something happened.”

“What happened?”

“Soon after the rule announcement last night I got a phone call.”

“I see. And what was on that phone call?”

“Well, I could just show you. The phones record all calls.”

“Right” said Cassy. “Lead the way.”

We entered my room. “Here” I said, pushing the playback button. PLAYING PHONE CALLS! 1 PHONE CALL RECORDED! 11:37 PM!

“Hello?…Hello?!…[soft thud]….click”

“And that was the call” I said.

“That seems odd” said Cassy.

“I know. I figured whoever did it did it accidentally. Like they knocked the phone off the reciever and then it hit the ground.”

“Hmm. Hold on” said Cassy, leaving my room. “Stay right where you are.”

“Oh, uh sure” I said. I looked round my room for a bit and then I saw the picture Monobird took of us last night. “Who knew one of us would be dead less than 24 hours after this picture was taken?…Wait a minute…” I saw something in the photo that intrigued me. I wasn’t sure if I could use it though. I looked down and sure enough Monokuma was with me. “Hey Monokuma, I have another question.”

“Well, this will have to be your last one. I have to wrap this up soon” said Monokuma.

“Can pictures taken by Monokuma be allowed as evidence?”

“Hmmm….., I say it’s a case by case basis. For the two photos he took since you got here, sure.”

“OK” I said.

“Anyway, I gotta go. Seeya!” Monokuma vanished again.

“Finally.” I then heard my phone ring. I picked it up and answered ”Hello?” Soon after I heard a loud thump. “Ow!” I said, pulling away from the phone for a bit. “What was that?”

“Sorry” said Cassy from the other end. I just wanted to test something. Come to my room so we can discuss this.”

“Uh, sure” I said. Cassy hung up on me. I walked over to Cassy’s room, confused. When I got there, I noticed that the door was locked. “Ow” I said, running into the door.

Cassy answered the door. “You really need to learn how to knock.”

“You invited me in. I thought that you would leave your door unlocked” I said.

“Why would I ever leave my door unlocked?” said Cassy. “I’m trapped in a situation where we’re supposed to kill, and someone has already done it. I’m not stupid.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense” I said.

“I don’t look down on you for not locking your door” said Cassy. “If that’s what you do.”

“You don’t?” I asked.

“No. It makes sense. You’re a lot more open and friendly with everyone. Ina way, that’s a type of defence. One that I don’t think I could pull off.”

_I get it. She is a little jealous. I better not mention it._  “Your idea is much safer. After all, someone did betray Maria’s trust. I could be next for all I know.”

Cassy gave me a serious look. “Don’t even joke about that.”

“Ah, you’re I’m sorry. Still, what did you want to talk about?”

“Oh, right. The sound on the phone. When I called you just now, I dropped my phone on the floor.”

“Why did you do that?”

“To compare the sounds. I listened back to my call and I heard that the two sounds were completly different.”

“So…?”

“So the sound you heard last night was not the sound of a phone being dropped on the floor.”

I was shocked. “So, what was it?”

“I don’t know. But I think if we can investigate more, we can figure it out.”

Just then a chime went on “Attention Students!” Monokuma called out from the announcement system. “You have five minutes of investigation time left. Use it wisely. Then we shall meet in the dining area to eat, and then off to the trial.”

“Five minutes?!” said Cassy, scared.

“Alright, calm down” I said. “We can’t figure it out now, but maybe we can do it in the trial. I’ll go grab my phone to bring as evidence. Since it has both last night’s call and the one from earlier.”

“No!” said Cassy, suddenly focused. “I’ve been tampering with my phone for a while. I know how to get the recordings out safely. You just go eat something. You’ve been very helpful.”

Cassy suddenly left the room. “OK…” I said to myself. I was about to leave, when I noticed a bunch of photos on Cassy’s desk. They were copies of the photos Monobird took. I figured they would be helpful for something in the trial. I then left the room, and then turned back to lock the door. Once it was locked, I headed to the dining area.

Lunch was quiet. Everyone was too busy eating, and there was a lot of food to go around. I guess it’s only fair , since this was definitely a last meal. But for one person, or for 14 of us has yet to be seen.

After lunch we made our way to the gym. “Are you ready for A TRIAL?!” called out Monokuma.

“I guess” said Jay.

“As ready as I’ll ever be” said Elliot.

“Let’s get this fuckin’ thing over with” said Buck.

“Alright then” said Monokuma. “Please enter the elevator” he said, pointing to an installation he made to the gym. “I will meet you down there shortly.”

We all entered the elevator and took a long ride down.

“This is such bullshit” said Buck.

“I get what you mean, good sir” said Troy. “But someone here betrayed our trust, and I would like to know who.”

“But that means killing someone, right? I don’t want to do that” said Sophie.

“It’s either us or them” said Rachel.

“I don’t care who it is!’ said Roman. “I just want them dead!”

“WOAH!” said May. “I get that you’re upset, but that sounds a little harsh.”

“This whole thing is harsh” said Jay. “The best thing to do is just embrace it for now.”

“Pierce, we’re going to get them, right?” said Andy.

“Of course” said Pierce.

_Everyone is afraid. How could you blame them?_

“Hey Justin” said Cassy.

“Yeah?” I replied.

“Do you have any idea who did it? So we can get this over with as quickly as possible?”

_Even Cassy is afraid._  “Sorry, but no. We gathered as much evidence as we could, but I’m still not sure who did it yet. Even if I did, I don’t think they’d just confess. Remember, they’re fighting for their life as much as we are.”

“Oh. Right” said Cassy.

“Still, I don’t think we’ll loose” I said. “I have confidence in our abilities. Especially your detective skills. You found things I didn’t even think to look for. Once we know how it all connect, we’ll get the person that did it for sure.”

Cassy’s face lit up and said “Right.”

Soon after, we reached our destination, The doors opened an we saw an unusual courtroom. There was a ring made up of 16 stands: one for each of us Above the furthest one to the back was a chair where Monokuma was sitting. “Alright everyone, take your places” said Monokuma. We all took our assigned places. The order, starting at the closest to the door going clockwise, was myself, Rachel, Pierce, May, Buck, Elliot, Roman, Maria, Jay, Tammy, Troy, Sophie, Andy, Annabelle, Duke, and Cassy. Maria’s place was taken up by a photo of her on a stand with a big bloody X across the picture. With all of us settled, I knew it was time.

Our first trial was beginning. Someone here murdered Maria in cold blood. Right in the art room. In her element. Everyone is on edge. Everyone wants to know the truth. But were we prepared for it? The killer wants to escape. But are they prepared for if that doesn’t work? Monokuma gave us a reason to kill. But did the motive mean anything in the end? It’s a complicated mess, and as much of a detriment as that is, it also works in our favor. This is a showdown. All we have to do is not blink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Investigations take a long time to write, apparently. Not to mention I have other tings I have to do. I have a life. The next part won't be up for a while, seeing as it's the trial. That is going to get complicated, but hopefully, super worth it. Like how I hope this chapter turned out.


	12. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 1: A Smiling Face Betrays the Truth (Part 7)

We all stood around in this courtroom essentially, staring at each other. Monokuma, from atop his perch, said “Now then, let’s go over the rules for the Class Trial. Students will take turns discussing who they think is the killer. This will continue until an agreement has been reached. Afterwords, a vote will take place to determine who the blackened is. If you guess right, then only the blackened will be punished. However, if you guess wrong… then everyone BESIDES the blackened will be punished. Now let the Class Trial BEGIN!”

Hello, it’s me again. We met earlier. Huh? “Who am I?” That’s not important. What is important are how these trials work. These trials are going to be somewhat different than the writing style you’ve seen thus far. This will be done to emulate more of how the game works. Some shortcuts will be taken, but that’s only because that is a game, and this is a fanfiction. Huh? “What game?” Well, if you’re reading this and don’t know what game this is based off of, then I applaud your efforts to keep up. As for the game itself, it’s just the first word in the title of this fanfiction. Although do be cautious if you don’t want to get spoiled. Now, enough of this. Let’s get back to the story.

Everyone stood still for a few seconds.

Buck: So, where should we start?

Justin: Right. Let’s just go over the basics of the case for right now. We’ll see what we can find there.

Sophie: Good idea. Let’s start!

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Sophie: Let’s see, where do we start?

Pierce: Well, the body was found in the art room by Justin, Cassy, and myself.

Rachel: The murder weapon was a knife we found on the scene

Jay: She was also found on top of the tapestry she created for us.

Troy: I still can’t believe it.

Troy: Maria was killed for no reason,

Troy: Other than someone’s selfish desire to escape.

Andy: Yeah, that’s terrible.

Roman: MARIA!!!!!!

Correct Course of Action (CCOA):

Troy: Maria was killed for no reason

Truth Bullet: Monokuma File #1

Justin: YOU’VE GOT THAT WRONG!

Justin: I wonder, how many of you think she was killed after midnight?

Troy: What do you mean, good sir? Of course she was killed after midnight!

Justin: That’s not what the Monokuma FIle has to say on the issue.

Troy: Good sir, what do you mean?

Justin: The Monokuma FIle doesn’t give a time of death.

Justin: While that is there to cause confusion over who the killer is…

Justin: It also causes confusion on whether our parents are actually alive or not.

May: So, what does this mean?

Justin: It means we have to talk about the motive that Monokuma gave us.

Justin: To determine whether or not that played a hand in Maria’s murder.

May: Right. I getcha.

May: ALRIGHT! LET’S DO THIS!

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

May: So, the motive.

May: Monokuma was going to kill our parents if we didn’t murder someone here.

Annabelle: But didn’t we agree to not kill anyway?

Annabelle: And accept the consequences?

Buck: Right. There should be no reason someone backed out of their word.

Elliot: Right. It’s not like anything changed since we made that pact.

Troy: So there should be no reason to kill for the motive, good sir.

Troy: Are you satisfied now?  
CCOA:

Elliot: Right. It’s not like anything changed since we made that pact.

Truth Bullet: Monobird picture #2

Justin: YOU’VE GOT THAT WRONG!

Justin: Something did change between then and now.

Justin: I hosted that party to celebrate our parents.

Elliot: Huh? What are you talking about?

Jay: Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?

Justin: I think it means that my party may have inspired someone to kill.

Justin: It did the opposite of what I wanted to do.

Cassy: Don’t be stupid.

Justin: Huh?

Cassy: Is that what this whole thing was about?

Cassy: Fine then, allow me to prove you wrong.

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Cassy: Your party had nothing to do with Maria’s murder.

Cassy: The truth is this murder was already planned out.

Tammy: Huh?! How can you tell?

Cassy: It’s simple, really.

Cassy: Why didn’t the killer kill someone before we made the agreement?

Cassy: Or before last night at all for that matter?

Cassy: The truth is the killer waited for last night to make their move.

Cassy: Justin’s party just happened to coincide with it.

CCOA:

Cassy: The truth is this murder was already planned out.

Truth Bullet: Maria’s Tapestry

Justin: YOU’VE GOT THAT WRONG!

Justin: While I would like to believe you, you’ve overlooked something.

Justin: If this was already planned out, why did they wait to take the tapestry?

Justin: After all, it was hanging up the day before. Why did they take it before it got hung up?

Cassy: …

Justin: I’m not saying I disagree with your assessment.

Justin: But why wait to take the tapestry when it was at its hardest to take?

Tammy: Hold on, what does that tapestry have to do with the murder itself?

Justin: Well…because Maria’s body was found under the tapestry.

Tammy: Yeah, but how do we know that the killer took it?

Tammy: For all we know, it could have been taken by someone else.

Tammy: And then used for the murder after that.

Troy: The possibility she brings up could have happened.

Annabelle: But why would someone else take it down? That doesn’t make sense.

Annabelle: Furthermore, how did it end up at the scene of the crime if it was taken by an unrelated party?

Tammy: Well, that’s why we’re having this class trial.

Tammy: So let’s just go for it and talk about the tapestry itself.

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Tammy: How do we know the killer took the tapestry?

Tammy: For all we know, someone else took it.

Jay: If someone else took it, why aren’t they saying anything?

Tammy: Because they’re afraid of being accused of murder. Duh!

Jay: Well, now would be a good time to fess up.

Troy: I agree.

Troy: If you took it, now’s a good time to speak.

Annabelle: I have a hard time believing that whoever took it down is unrelated.

Annabelle: If they were, how did the tapestry become related to the case?

Tammy: That’s obvious.

Tammy: Whoever did it, just put it in the art room.

Tammy: Problem Solved.

CCOA:

Annabelle: I have a hard time believing that whoever took it down is unrelated.

Truth Bullet: Padlock Key.

Justin: I agree!

Justin: What if both sides were right?

Annabelle: How do you figure?

Justin: What if it wasn’t the killer, but also related to the case?

Tammy: Huh? Who could fit that description?

Justin: Maria. The victim.

Justin: We found a key in Maria’s room during our investigation.

Justin: We believe that it was the same key that was used to lock the padlock that locked the door to the gym.

Tammy: Oh!

Troy: That makes perfect sense, good sir.

Justin: Now, I’m not saying she definitely took down the tapestry,

Justin: But it is a possibility.

Rachel: You’re overlooking the facts!

Justin: Wha-What?!

Rachel: I admire your skill, but you are overlooking something so simple, it almost hurts.

Justin: What are you talking about?

Rachel: While it is true that the gym was locked, and it’s also true that we found the key in Maria’s room

Rachel: Maria had no reason to lock the gym if she was the one to take the tapestry.

REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN  
BEGIN!

Rachel: Let’s go over the facts.

Rachel: The tapestry went missing the night of the murder.

Rachel: The tapestry was hung in the gym the previous morning.

Rachel: The gym was locked with a chain and padlock.

Rachel: However, Maria herself would have no reason to lock the gym if she took the tapestry.

Rachel: Therefore, the person who took it down could not have been Maria!

ADVANCE!

Justin: While I’m not sure if Maria did it either,

Justin: Saying she couldn’t have done it is ignorant.

Justin: In fact, Maria is one of the few people who COULD take it down.

Rachel: What do you mean “few”?

Rachel: Anyone could have taken it down.

Rachel: Most of us were there to see it get hung up.

Rachel: Surely us watching her put it up would help us understand how to get it down.

Rachel: This line of thinking only leads us back to square one.

CCOA:

Rachel: Anyone could have taken it down.

Truth Blade: Tapestry Hanging Technique

Justin: I’ll cut through your lies!

Justin: Maria had a specific technique for hanging the tapestry without compromising it.

Justin: It involved trying two strings to the ends of the tapestry and using those strings as a way to hang it.

Justin: When I investigated where the tapestry was hung, I noticed that the strings were still intact.

Justin: Not to manage that the only noticeable damage to the tapestry itself  was Maria’s blood.

Justin: Therefore, my conclusion is that whoever took it down could take it down without damaging the art.

Justin: And Maria is one of the few people here that could do that.

Rachell: …

Rachel: Bravo. You’ve bested me.

Justin: That having been said, I also don’t know why Maria would take it down, or try to lock the gym.

Tammy: Hold on, who are these “other people” you mention?

Sophie: Yeah, shouldn’t it have JUST been Maria who knew how to take it down?

Jay: I know I don’t think I could have gotten it down without ruining something.

Troy: Indeed.

Troy: JUSTIN! Who else could have done this, if it wasn’t Maria?

Justin: Well, I can think of a few things.

Justin: Tammy is very good with machines, so I think she could use some of that to take the tapestry down.

Justin: Roman is another artist, so I’m sure he would find a way to take it down without damaging it.

Justin: Elliot is good at all sorts of things, so maybe she knows how to do it.

Justin: And Cassy is very careful and very analytical, so she could have figured it out.

Justin: Plus, someone here might have a hidden talent for undoing knots. So I can’t discount everyone else out just yet.

Justin: Those are just the most likely people.

Rachel: Well then, why not suspect Cassy?

Cassy: Huh? Why me?!

Rachel: I saw you go downstairs last night.

Cassy: Huh?!

Rachel: Do you have something to say to that?

Cassy: When did you see this?

Rachel: I heard something last night.

Rachel: So I peaked out, and I saw you locking your door.

Rachel: You then left for the stairs.

Rachel: So, again, what do you have to say to that?

Cassy: …

Cassy: You just saw me leave my room.

Cassy: I didn’t go downstairs.

Justin: Huh? But you told me you went downstairs.

Cassy: Yeah, but it’s my word against yours.

Cassy: And so long as you can’t prove I went downstairs, then for all intents and purposes, I didn’t go downstairs.

Cassy: And the only person who can confirm if that did happen is Monobird.

Cassy: But we can’t ask him, can we?

Cassy: So, I guess no one can say I killed Maria, right?

Justin: I wouldn’t say you killed Maria.

Sophie: Of course you wouldn’t.

Justin: What?

Sophie: Nothing.

Justin: …OK…

Justin: Anyway, I can still prove that you went downstairs.

Cassy: I’d like to see you try.

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Cassy: You can’t prove I went downstairs.

Rachel: But I saw you leaving your room.

Cassy: But you didn’t see me going downstairs.

Cassy: Therefore, you can’t prove I did.

Pierce: Just admit it.

Pierce: More people believe Justin anyway.

Cassy: I TOLD YOU, I DIDN’T!

Pierce: Oh brother.

CCOA:

Cassy: Therefore, you can’t prove I did.

Truth Bullet: Pictures from Cassy’s Room

Justin: You’ve got that wrong!

Justin: Do you recognize these?

Cassy: …

Justin: I found these in your room.

Buck: Wait, what were you doing in her room?

Justin: She asked me to come over.

Roman: During an investigation?

Roman: And I thought you were focused.

Justin: What are you talking about?

Roman: Huh? You don’t know?

Cassy: The point is, I asked him in for some detective work I was doing.

Cassy: But how did you get those pictures?

Justin: They were just sitting on your desk.

Justin: I grabbed them before I left while you were getting the thing from my room.

Troy: Whoa! Her room AND your room? You guys must be fast.

Justin: Well, we only had three hours to investigate.

Troy: Still, that is some pretty good stamina usage, good sir.

Cassy: His room had evidence and I could get it quicker. That’s it.

Justin: Cassy, give them some credit.

Justin: I’m sure they knew evidence was in there.

Jay: It was just evidence?

Justin: Yeah. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be in there.

Duke: Erm, you might want to rephrase that.

Justin: Why?

Duke: …You’re more dense than osmium.

Justin: The point is, these pictures are copies of the pictures that were given to us.

Justin: Cassy, you told me you met with Monobird last night.

Justin: These pictures, were they by chance from Monobird?

Cassy: …

Monokuma: Ah ah ah. You can’t use Monobird as a-

Justin: By the way, Monokuma told me something interesting during the investigation.

[Investigation]

Cassy: Do Monobird’s actions count as having happened?

Monokuma: Of course. After all, he exists, doesn’t he? It’s just he can’t tell you who did it, or if you didn’t do it.

[Present]

Justin: Printing out pictures, and giving them out counts as an action, right Monokuma?

Monokuma: …

Monokuma: grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Monokuma: AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

Monokuma: I HATE getting bested at my own game.

Monokuma: Yeah, since I said it, I guess it counts.

Justin: See Cassy? It’s alright.

Justin: Just tell everyone what happened.

Cassy: …

Cassy: Fine. You win.

Cassy: It’s just like you said, I was getting pictures from Monobird.

Duke: But why?

Rachel: And why lie about it?

Cassy: Well, I wanted to keep the pictures I had,

Cassy: But I also wanted to use some for my corkboard for figuring out who the Ultimate Killer is.

Cassy: Or at least figure out a way out or something.

Cassy: As for why I didn’t tell you, I was just scared.

Cassy: It seemed like everyone else was close with somebody, I felt left out.

Cassy: I thought no one would have my back if I told everyone I was downstairs.

Cassy: Everyone would think I’m the killer, and I wouldn’t be able to defend myself.

Cassy: I’m sorry everyone.

Justin:  _(Poor Cassy.)_

Justin: It’s OK, we forgive you.

Andy: Hold on! She still could have done it.

Cassy: WHAT?!

Elliot: Huh?

Duke: Wha?

Pierce: Whoa little dude, where is this coming from?

Andy: She said she was downstairs.

Andy: That would have given her ample opportunity to strike.

Justin: I mean, I guess that’s true, but-

Andy: But NOTHING!

Andy: Out of the four people you specified, Cassy is the only person to have gone downstairs at any point last night.

Andy: Make her prove she didn’t do it.

Cassy: …

Justin:  _(Uh-oh. I thought I could just rely on this.)_

Justin:  _(I didn’t have a backup plan.)_

Justin:  _(No matter. I just have to think of something.)_

May: I wonder…

Justin: Huh?

May: What is with the sudden accusal, Andy?

Andy: What are you talking about?

May: Are you just covering for yourself?

Andy: WHA-WHA-WHA-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

Cassy: May, what are you talking about?

May: I saw him hanging around the dining area for a bit while we were doing dishes.

May: He could have snuck in and grabbed the knife when we weren’t looking!

Jay: Well, he is small enough to do that.

Troy: Plus, we were so busy with the dishes, it’s be a bit easier for him to come in when no one is looking.

Roman: And he’s wearing a suit. He could easily have hidden the knife within there somewhere.

Andy: Hold on, that’s preposterous!

May: I think it’s the sanest sounding solution we’ve come to all day.

May: So, what do you have to say in your defence?

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Andy: I couldn’t have taken the knife. I’m too clumsy.

Roman: That could just be an act.

Troy: Or you could have calmed your nerves when you knew you had to focus, good sir.

Andy: But what about the tapestry?

Andy: Justin didn’t name me as a person who could plausibly do that.

Elliot: Justin said that people here could have a hidden talent for knots.

May: Besides, you’re the Ultimate Trivia Expert, right?

May: You could know how to undo that particular knot due to your research.

Andy: But-But what about the height difference?

Andy: Surely, I couldn’t have stabbed her in the neck.

Andy: She’s too tall for me to reach.

Tammy: Well, there are plenty of chairs in the art room.

Tammy: You could have stood on one of those.

Andy: But a chair wasn’t set up when we found the body.

Jay: You could have just moved stuff around.

Jay: It’s not like it would have taken too long.

Andy: But-but-but-but-but

Cassy: Face it Andy, there’s nowhere left to run.

Cassy: Justin told me you were in the art room for an extended period of time.

Cassy: It could have easily been you.

CCOA:

Jay: You could have just moved stuff around.

Truth Bullet: Maria Statue.

Justin: You’ve got that wrong!

Justin: If Andy were to move stuff around, why would he leave the statue of Maria where it was?

Jay: Oh yeah. That’s a good point.

Justin: Furthermore, why was it moved in the first place?

Jay: That’s also a good question.

Andy: *sigh*

Duke: You mean you don’t know?

Andy: Wha?

Pierce: It looks like you’re not out of the woods just yet.

Cassy: You do know Duke?

Duke: Of course, I thought it was obvious.

Cassy: Well please, share with the class.

Duke: With pleasure.

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Casy: So Duke, what was the Maria statue used for?

Duke: Like I said, I think it’s obvious.

Duke: It was used for hiding.

Buck: Hiding?

Duke: Yes. When Maria entered the room, she saw no one else.

Duke: Why? Because they were hiding behind the statue, waiting to ambush her from behind.

Annabelle: I guess that makes sense.

Duke: I believe than Andy moved the statue to hide behind it and kill Maria.

Elliot: Well, it looks like we’ve got our killer.

Andy: BUT-BUT-BUT-BUT-BUT-BUT

CCOA:

Duke: I believe than Andy moved the statue to hide behind it and kill Maria.

Truth Bullet: Arm Wrestling Contest Standings

Justin: You’ve got that wrong!

Justin: Andy couldn’t move the statue in the first place.

Duke: What?! How do you figure?!

Justin: The standings from the arm-wrestling contest.

Justin: Cassy and I tried moving the statue, but we couldn’t.

Duke: So? That’s you and Cassy. Not Andy.

Justin: Cassy and I both didn’t rack up a single win.

Justin: Neither did Andy.

Duke: …

Justin: My point is, I don’t think he could move the statue, based on that.

Annabelle: He could have been feigning weakness to hide it.

Elliot: HE BETTER HAVE NOT!

Elliot: THAT WOULD RUIN MY CONTEST!

Buck: Relax, he wasn’t holding back.

Buck: I should know. I faced off against him.

Troy: As did I, good sir.

Troy: He wasn’t trying to hold back. I could see it in his eyes.

May: I faced him too, and it felt like he was trying hard.

Elliot: Oh. OK. We’re all good then.

Duke: No we aren’t! We still need to figure out how Andy moved the statue!

Justin: Are you sure it was Andy?

Duke: Positive!

Justin: So how did he move the statue?

Duke: Simple.

Duke: He just pushed the statue!

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Duke: Andy didn’t need to pick up the statue to move it.

Duke: All he had to do was push it.

Cassy: But we didn’t find any marks on the floor to indicate that the statue was pushed.

Duke: Who do you think you’re talking to?

Duke: There is a chemical compound that is easy to manufacture to clear up such scrapes.

May: OK, but that’s not something most people could figure out.

Duke: Like you said, he’s a Trivia Expert.

Duke: He could come across that knowledge in an instant and know what to do.

Duke: He easily could have made it if her knew what he was doing.

Jay: There’s a problem with that.

Jay: Troy and I stayed in the art room for three hours.

Jay: And neither of us smelled any odd chemical compound that could be used for that.

Troy: Also, good sir, wouldn’t you have caught that right away?

Troy: There is simply no way he could have done all of that without leaving some sort of trace.

Andy: I’m glad someone understands.

Duke: Shut up, murderer!

Andy: GAH!

CCOA:

Troy: There is simply no way he could have done all of that without leaving some sort of trace.

Truth Bullet: Statue Card

Justin: I agree!

Justin: There’s no way the statue was pushed.

Duke: But what about the hidden chemical theory I just put forward?

Justin: Even then, chemicals couldn’t hide whatever damage could have come to this card.

Duke: Huh? What’s that?

Roman: That’s the card I made to name and take authorship of the statue!

Justin: Exactly, Roman.

Justin: If the statue was pushed, this would have been destroyed.

Justin: However, since it remains intact, the statue would have to have been picked up.

Duke: …

Duke: Alright, the little worm couldn’t have moved the statue.

Andy: Finally.

Duke: But that doesn’t mean he didn’t do it.

Andy: WHAT?!

Andy: How could you say that?!

Duke: It’s your logic.

Andy: HOW?!

Duke: Didn’t you accuse Cassy of doing it, even after she explained why she was down there in the first place?

Andy: Well yeah, but…

Pierce: Well then who moved the statue?

Duke: Huh?

Pierce: Let’s say Andy was the killer,

Pierce: Who moved the statue then?

Pierce: And how did Andy think to use it in his killing plot?

Justin: _(Who moved the statue? That is a good question.)_

Justin:  _(However, it is a question with a clear answer.)_

PICK SOMEONE:

Question: Who moved the statue?

Answer: Pierce Legna

Justin: It could only have been you!

Justin: You could have moved the statue Pierce.

Pierce: Oh, this is an interesting development.

Pierce: Do you have a reason as to why I moved the statue?

Pierce: Or are you writing checks your mouth can’t cash?

Justin: You did it to help Andy.

Pierce: Huh?

Justin: Andy could have asked you to move the statue for this murder plot.

Justin: And you might have gone along with it because you two have been so close that you wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

Pierce: I see.

Pierce: You’re dead wrong though.

Justin: Huh?

Andy: Yeah, there’s no way Pierce moved the statue.

Pierce: Oh no, he’s right about that.

Andy: Huh?!

Pierce: But I didn’t do all that hard work just so Andy could kill someone.

Pierce: I did it so that I could make the kill.

Andy: Wha-wha-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

Cassy: So, are you admitting to murdering Maria then?

Pierce: Of course.

Andy: PIERCE THIS IS SO STUPID!

Andy: THERE’S NO WAY YOU COULD HAVE DONE IT!

Pierce: Sorry little buddy, but it’s the truth.

…

Elliot: So, do we just go ahead and vote then?

Troy: I guess so, good madame.

Troy: Since the killer outright confessed to everything.

Pierce: I guess we do just vote.

Roman: You will pay for what you did to my Maria!

Annabelle: I knew he was shady from the start.

May: I mean, he is a bit weird, but…

Buck: I don’t buy it.

Jay: Huh?

Buck: Like I said, I don’t fucking buy it!

Buck: And neither do you. Do you Justin?

Justin: …

Justin: Of course I don’t.

Pierce: Seriously? After I confessed and everything?

Justin: That confession was so fake, Parker Brothers wants to put it on the $500 bill in their next iteration of Monopoly.

Pierce: Oh, you you don’t believe me, eh?

Pierce: Fine then. I’ll prove it to you.

Pierce: I’ll tell you how everything went down!

FALSE CLOSER

BEGIN!

Hello, me again. If you are familiar with Danganronpa, you probably won’t recognize this. That’s because it was made up for the purposes of this particular fanfiction. In this new mode, someone will propose a possible method of how the murder went down. They will present their way in the same style as the Closing Argument section. The job of the player is to point out how it couldn’t have happened, using Truth Panels! They’re more on less the same a Truth Bullets, but with questions to help clarify certain details of the panels in the story. Most of the time you are going to have to point out multiple things that could be wrong with the story to get them to rescind it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new mode. That is all.

Act 1: After I left Andy in the art room with Maria and Justin, I made my move. I began by sneaking into the dining area. Everyone was so focused on doing the dishes, they didn’t notice me just grabbing the knife from one of the tables. I then bided my time and waited for the night time announcement.

Act 2: After everyone left the gym, I went to work grabbing the tapestry. I know my way around tricky weapons, so undoing that knot didn’t take too much finesse. I then went ahead and locked the gym door. I then waited by the art room for Andy to fall asleep.

Act 3: When Andy finally got to sleeping, I set up the art room by laying down the tapestry and moving the statue. I then wrote up a quick note to lure Maria out of her room and into the art room. I slid the note under her door and knocked to get her attention. When I heard her getting up, I ran out to get ready for the kill.

Act 4: I entered back into the art room, turned the lights off, and hid behind the statue. A few minutes later Maria showed up. Having not seen me, she entered the room further and further. Since it was dark, she didn’t notice the tapestry on the ground, or that she was standing on it. When she was on it, I jumped out and attacked her from behind, killing her.

Act 5: With Maria dead, there was some things I needed to do. First I grabbed the note from her body so it couldn’t be traced back to me. I then grabbed Andy and then carried him back upstairs. I ran into a bit of trouble, but I found a solution. I then took the key from the lock and put it in Maria’s room. I then went back to my room, and waited for Maria’s body to be found.

Pierce: I never expected to have been found out, but here I am. The Killer: Pierce Legna, The Ultimate Weapons Expert!

Justin: It’s a convincing story, but there are some things you got wrong.

Pierce: Oh really? Name them.

Justin: With pleasure.

CCOA:

Act 5: I ran into a bit of trouble, but I found a solution.

Truth Panel: Monokuma’s Late Night Rules Announcement

Question: Was Maria dead when this announcement got read?

Justin: You can’t rewrite the truth!

Justin: That “trouble” you mentioned.

Justin: I believe you explained it to us.

[Investigation]

Pierce: See, I woke up for a bit and went to check on Andy in the art room. When I went in though, I saw him asleep with his drawing. I couldn’t just leave him there. So, I decided to take him up to his room. However, I ran into a problem.

Cassy: Monokuma’s nighttime announcement.

Pierce: Exactly. So, I called out to the stuffed monstrocity and asked him about specifics. In the end though, the only way to get him into his bed was by throwing him in. I didn’t want to do that, since he would wake up, I just invited him into my room and have him sleep in my bed.

Justin: Where did you sleep?

Pierce: On the floor.

[Present]

Pierce: I remember explaining that to you. What of it?

Justin: Well, it’s just that the content of the following rules announcement seems to contradict the fact that Maria was dead.

[The Night Before]

Monokuma: Attention Students! I know it’s night time, but thanks to some medling from your classmate Pierce, a new rule has been added. Also, just a reminder, if you want to save your parents, you have less than an hour to kill someone. Thank you.

[Present]

Justin: Why would Monokuma warn us we only have less than an hour to kill if someone was dead?

Pierce: You gotta come at me with something better than that.

Tammy: Huh? But that makes sense.

Pierce: You know how Monokuma works.

Pierce: He could have just been toying with you guys.

Pierce: After all, the body hadn’t been discovered yet.

Justin: Well, I do have something better than that.

Justin: The question is, do you want it?

Pierce: If you can prove without a shadow of a doubt that I didn’t do it with this next thing, go ahead.

CCOA:

Act 4: When she was on it, I jumped out and attacked her from behind, killing her.

Truth Panel: Arm Wrestling Contest Standings

Question: What did Pierce say to me during the contest?

Justin: You can’t rewrite the truth!

Justin: How is this for irrefutable proof?

Pierce: … I’m failing to see the connection.

Justin: I can see why some people could,

Justin: But you of all people should know what I’m talking about.

Elliot: Hold on, what are you talking about?

Elliot: Did Pierce hold back?!

Elliot: Did Pierce somehow ruin my contest?!

Justin: Not because he wanted to. He couldn’t use his full strength no matter how hard he tried.

Elliot: What? How is that possible?!

Justin: Pierce tried to hide it cleverly, but if you can read between the lines, it’s clear as day.

[Arm Wrestling Contest]

Justin: I feel like you weren’t giving it your all.

Pierce: That’s because I wasn’t.

Justin: What?! Why not?

Pierce: Well, because if I did give it my all, I’d have an unfair advantage. Besides, I think it’s a little more fun if I play with a handicap.

[Present]

Pierce: I remember saying this to you as well.

Pierce: But what do you think it means?

Justin: Simple

Justin: It means you’re left-handed.

Elliot: What?!

Justin: Pierce couldn’t perform as best as he could because he would have an unfair advantage.

Justin: He’d be using his dominant hand, and we’d be using our non-dominant hand.

Tammy: Wait, what does that have to do with killing Maria?

Justin: Remember where Maria was stabbed?

Tammy: Of course. It was on the right side of her neck, right?

Justin: Right. Now, let’s think of what Pierce was telling us.

Justin: He said he snuck up from behind to kill Maria.

Justin: But if he’s left-handed…

Tammy: Oh, I get it!

Tammy: If he was left handed, then Maria would have been stabbed on the left side of her neck.

Justin: Exactly.

Cassy: Hold on. If he was left handed, he could have just used his non-dominant hand to stab her.

Cassy: It wouldn’t have been as precise, but he could still do it.

Justin: I don’t think so.

Cassy: Wha?

Justin: I know this is just circumstantial, but I don’t think Pierce would ever hold a weapon with his non-dominant hand.

Justin: He’s the Ultimate Weapons expert after all. He wouldn’t mess around with weapons.

Pierce: …

Justin: So, what do you have to say to that?

Pierce: Hmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhm.

Pierce: Hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahaha.

Pierce: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Pierce: You’re right.

Pierce: You’re right on every single count.

Pierce: I didn’t move the statue.

Pierce: I didn’t kill Maria.

Pierce: And I am left-handed.

Pierce: I’m impressed that you managed to figure that all out.

Andy: But then why confess?

Pierce: To teach you all a lesson.

Andy: What?

Cassy: What lesson would that be?

Pierce: Don’t just keep pointing fingers at everyone to try and figure out the killer.

Pierce: Remember, this Class Trial has dire consequences.

Pierce: If we mess up and don’t find the killer, we all die.

Justin: You were also trying to test our conviction.

Justin: Trying to see if we would just automatically vote for you once you confessed.

Pierce: That too.

Cassy: Idiot! You could have just told us that!

Pierce: Yeah, but everyone was in a panic.

Pierce: I doubt anyone would really listen to me if I didn’t make them pay attention to me.

Justin: That’s true.

Cassy: You’re aking his side on this?!

Justin: I mean, there are so many confusing aspects to this case.

Justin: We’ve been talking a lot, but it feels like we haven’t gotten anywhere.

Justin: The killer took the tapestry. Or they didn’t. The killer moved the statue. Or they didn’t.

Justin: We still don’t have an approximate time of death.

Sophie: Um, now that you mention it, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to say.

Elliot: Huh?

Sophie: Well, it’s just, about that time of death thing…

Sophie: I don’t think it could have been before midnight at all.

Buck: Huh? How so?

Sophie: Well, it’s because I saw Maria after midnight.

Sophie: I appreciate you trying to hold onto that hope Justin,

Sophie: But I think we need to face the truth eventually.

Sophie: I think Maria’s death was for no reason. I think our parents are dead already.

Justin:  _(Right, Sophie’s story.)_

Justin: Would you care to explain your story for the trial?

Sophie: Huh?

Justin: It’s very important.

Justin: We need to have all the facts before we make our judgement.

Justin: Or we’ll all end up dead for no reason.

Sophie: O-OK.

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Sophie: Um, as you know, I was feeling ill after the dinner last night.

Rachel: It was a stomach ache. I helped her to the nurse’s office.

Sophie: Right. Rachel took care of me until I could fall asleep.

Rachel: It was nothing.

Duke: Wait, so when did you see Maria?

Sophie: I was getting to that.

Sophie: At about 2 in the morning, I woke up.

Sophie: I felt better, so I decided to go back to my room.

Sophie: On my way back to my room, I saw the Maria’s door was slightly opened.

Sophie: So, I went to check on her.

Sophie: I opened the door slightly, careful not to enter the room with both feet.

Sophie: Maria was sleeping on her bed.

Sophie: I tried to see if I could wake her, but I couldn’t.

Sophie: If only I had tried harder, then maybe…

Troy: What’s done is done, good madame.

CCOA:

Sophie: I opened the door slightly, careful not to enter the room with both feet.

Truth Bullet: Nighttime Rule Amendment

Justin: You’ve got that wrong!

Justin: Sophie, would you care to elaborate on how you opened the door?

Sophie: Oh! Of Course!

Sophie: The door was opened just a crack.

Sophie: So, I pushed the door open a little more

Sophie: And I placed my hand and the front part of my foot in the room.

Sophie: I didn’t technically enter the room though.

Justin: Technically, you actually did.

Sophie: Huh?!

Justin: I’m not entirely surprised you don’t know this, seeing as how you were trying to sleep off stomach problems

Justin: But remember the announcement I brought up earlier?

Sophie: Um, yeah.

Justin: That was to announce an amendment to the nighttime rule.

Justin: The rules states “You can open the door to anyone’s room, but you can’t cross the doorframe with your feet. Doing that will violate the rules.”

Sophie: WHAT?!

Sophie: But I remember putting part of my foot across the doorframe.

Sophie: I don’t understand. I broke a rule.

Sophie: Shouldn’t I be dead?

May: Maybe you got lucky?

Monokuma: Nah, I’ve accounted for that.

Monokuma: If anyone broke a rule, they’d be dead within seconds, even if they were the luckiest person on Earth.

Justin: There is another possibility.

Sophie: There is?

Justin: Yes.

Justin: When you came across Maria’s open room, Maria was already dead.

Sophie: …

Justin: Monokuma told me that the nighttime rule doesn’t apply to people who are already dead.

[Investigation]

Justin: Does the nighttime rule apply to the rooms of dead people?

Monokuma: Nope. Once someone’s dead, you can’t sneak up on them anymore, so it’d be foolish to have that rule apply to them.

[Present]

Justin: If what you said was true, then the only logical explanation is that Maria was already dead when you entered the room.

Sophie: But she was in her bed!

Sophie: I saw her!

Sophie: I know I saw her.

Pierce: So, in your quest to make things clearer, you only made things more confusing.

Rachel: She only said what she saw!

Pierce: I know, I was talking to Justin.

Justin: Me?

Pierce: You’ve been taking charge this trial.

Pierce: Maybe you should propose a talking point to maybe clear this up.

Justin:  _(Just what are you getting at Pierce?)_

Justin: Fine.

Pierce: What do you want to talk about?

Justin: There’s something that’s been bothering me.

Justin: Why use the tapestry in the first place?

Buck: What do you mean?

Justin: It’s just, if I were to kill someone, I wouldn’t use a tapestry to lay their body on.

Justin: Its inclusion in the murder is strange.

Troy: Now that you mention it good sir, it is a bit odd.

May: Well, since we found the body in the art room, I thought it was thematic.

May: I didn’t notice anything wrong about it until you mentioned it.

Cassy: I’ve been wondering about this as well.

Tammy: Well, do you have an answer?

Justin: Huh?

Tammy: Pierce was having you take charge.

Tammy: So do you have an answer?

Justin:  _(Do I have an answer?)_

Justin: Ah! That’s it!

Justin: I do have an answer!

Tammy: Great! What is it?

Justin: What if Maria wasn’t killed in the art room?

Tammy: Oh!

Justin: The tapestry could have been used to move Maria to the art room.

Tammy: I see!

Duke: Hold on! You’re forgetting something.

Justin: Am I?

Duke: Yes, you are!

Duke: You forgot that I already thought of that possibility.

Duke: I investigated thoroughly, but found no trace of Maria’s blood outside the art room.

May: Almost too thoroughly.

Justin: I didn’t forget.

Duke: What’s this?

Justin: Tell me Duke, did you see any blood in the art room that wasn’t on the tapestry?

Duke: What are you getting at?

Justin: I’m saying that Maria wasn’t killed in the art room.

Duke: Well, I think she was!

Tammy: I dunno, I think Justin has a point.

Buck: Really? Because I think Duke is more correct on this.

Jay: Why don’t you have Justin’s back?

Rachel: I don’t think he’s right either.

Sophie: It makes perfect sense though.

Roman: It’s a mess.

Monokuma: HOLD ON EVERYONE!

Monokuma: It seems this class is divided on what they think.

Monokuma: I’ve been waiting for a moment like this.

Monokuma: This is something I’ve been building here.

Monokuma: A new addition to this old school’s courtroom: DEBATE ARENA!

Monokuma flipped over an ignition and ut a key in. Suddenly, the places everyone was standing had guardrails pop up. Everyone was given two buttons to push; one for if you think Maria was killed in the art room, and one for if you think she wasn’t. Once all the buttons were pushed, everyone started to move. It ended up that everyone who said that Maria was killed in the art room was on one side, and everyone who said she wasn’t was on the other. Maria’s portrait was given to the side that had few people.

Monokuma: Alright, now the the debate COMMENCE!

DEBATE SCRUM

BEGIN!

Side-Maria Was Killed in the Art Room:

Maria’s portrait

Buck

Elliot

Roman

Andy

Rachel

May

Duke

Side-Maria Wasn’t Killed in the Art Room:

Troy

Jay

Tammy

Pierce

Cassy

Sophie

Annabelle

Justin

Duke: No signs of blood were found outside the art room.

Justin: SOPHIE!

Sophie: No signs of blood were found in the art room either! Apart from the tapestry, that is.

Elliot: It isn’t odd for the tapestry to be in the art room.

Justin: TAMMY!

Tammy: It is odd, because Maria hung up the tapestry in the gym yesterday.

Roman: Well, it was already determined that the tapestry had been moved. Maybe the killer just moved it into the art room.

Justin: JAY!

Jay: There’s no reason why the killer would have moved it to the art room. You don’t need a tapestry to stab someone.

Rachel: Hold on! We still haven’t determined if it was the killer who moved it, or if it was a third party.

Justin: ANNABELLE!!

Annabelle: It makes even less sense for a third party to move the tapestry.

Buck: It doesn’t make sense for Maria to be killed somewhere other than the art room.

Justin: TROY!

Troy: Good sir, it was past 10 pm. Maria had left the art room at that point.

Andy: Well, what if she came back? You know, to check on me.

Justin: PIERCE!

Pierce: I was the one to check on you. Not Maria.

May: Maria would have no way of knowing of what Pierce did.

Justin: CASSY!

Cassy: Pierce’s actions were announced by Monokuma. If Maria had heard the announcment, she could have checked that.

Duke: There is still absolutely no way that Maria was killed anywhere but the art room.

Justin: I GOT THIS!

Justin: Face it. Maria was not killed in the art room. She was killed somewhere else and moved using the tapestry.

FULL COUNTER

Troy, Jay, Tammy, Pierce, Cassy, Sophie, Annabelle, Justin: THIS IS OUR ANSWER!

Justin: So you see, Maria was not killed in the art room.

Duke: …

Duke: I graciously accept defeat.

Justin: Great. Now we know why the tapestry was taken down.

Justin: It was used to move the body of Maria from where she was killed to the art room.

Justin: So where was Maria?

Cassy: Before we get to that, something else has been bothering me.

Justin: Oh? What is it?

Cassy: Well, we know why the tapestry was moved,

Cassy: But we still have no idea why the statue was moved.

Justin: That is a good point.

Justin: Seeing as only someone able-bodied could move the statue as far as they did.

Troy: I won’t stand for this, good sit!

Troy: Good sir, while our fight to prove the use of the tapestry was valiant, I will not allow you to turn on me.

Justin: Hold on, I didn’t say you moved the statue.

Troy: Still, you insinuate that only someone who could pick up the statue with ease move it, good sir.

Troy: I maintain that even someone who could lift the statue slightly could have moved it to its current position.

REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN

BEGIN!

Troy: You pointed to the arm-wrestling standings

Troy: As a measurement of who could and could not lift the statue.

Troy: Why only limit it to people who got far?

Troy: Someone like Tammy or May could have probably picked up the statue

Troy: And carefully moved it to its current position

Troy: Good sir.

ADVANCE

Justin: We also have to take into account that they moved Maria’s body as well.

Justin: Even if someone on the lighter side could pick it up,

Justin: I doubt they would have the energy.

Troy: But there’s no evidence to suggest the statue was moved outside the art room, good sir.

Troy: Therefore, I am saying that even after lifting a body

Troy: Someone could still move the to statue where it is in the art room

Troy: Without straining themselves too much.

Troy: Even after that much lifting,

Troy: A good night’s rest would help you relax your muscles.

CCOA:

Troy: But there’s no evidence to suggest the statue was moved outside the art room, good sir.

Truth Blade: Bits found in Maria’s Bed

Justin: I’ll cut through your lies!

Justin: Troy, I have to thank you.

Troy: What is this, good sir?

Justin: You defending yourself actually lead me to the answer to a bunch of questions surrounding this case.

Justin: Because of you, we’re that much closer to finding the killed.

Troy: Oh. Uh, thank you…good sir.

Cassy: What questions are we answering?

Justin: Troy, you said that there’s no evidence to suggest that the statue was moved very far.

Justin: Well, I do have the evidence that says that the statue was moved pretty far.

Troy: Oh? What evidence do you speak of, good sir?

Justin: During our investigation, we talked to Sophie and Rachel.

Justin: They had found these bits of a dirt-like substance in Maria’s bed.

Justin: I think I know what these actually are.

Cassy: You do?

Justin: Yup.

Justin: They’re bits of clay from the statue of Maria!

Troy: …

Tammy: Hold on, what?!

Tammy: What does that mean?

Cassy: And what other questions does this answer?

Justin: Simple.

Justin: Remember when Sophie saw Maria in her bed after midnight?

Justin: What she actually saw was the statue.

Sophie: …

Cassy: But why?

Cassy: Why was the statue moved that far in the first place?

Justin: To create a witness.

Justin: That statue has the same proportions as Maria.

Justin: If someone were to see that in Maria’s bed,

Justin: Then they would think that it was Maria in there.

Justin: This also answers the question of when the key was placed in Maria’s room.

Justin: It was at the same time as when the statue was moved.

Cassy: I see.

Cassy: So what now?

Pierce: I have an idea.

Pierce: What was everyone doing after the nighttime announcement?

Tammy: Huh? What’s this for?

Pierce: Well, if we can account for where everyone was, we might find where Maria was.

Pierce: And when she ended up dead.

Justin: I get you.

Justin: Alright, you heard the man!  Let’s talk about last night!

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Tammy: Um, I think most of us were asleep after the nighttime announcement.

Roman: Yeah, I know I was. I was beat after doing dishes.

Annabelle: I did hear the announcement of the new rule and woke up for a bit.

Annabelle: But I immediately went back to sleep.

Rachel: I heard the announcement too.

Rachel: I was going to call the nurse’s office to see if Sophie heard it

Rachel: But I didn’t because I didn’t want to wake her up.

Sophie: I was in the nurse’s office until about 2.

Cassy: I went downstairs to get some extra photos from Monobird.

Cassy: But I went right back up afterwards.

Duke: I saw someone in the hallway.

Duke: I couldn’t tell who it was though.

Duke; After that, I also went downstairs and came right back up.

Pierce: As for me, I went downstairs as well.

Pierce: I picked up a sleeping Andy and took him back upstairs.

Pierce: There were some problems, but I just let him stay in my room.

CCOA:

Rachel: But I didn’t because I didn’t want to wake her up.

Truth Bullet: Phone call to Justin’s room.

Justin: You’ve got that wrong!

Justin: Rachel, did you happen to call anyone else last night?

Rachel: No. Why?

Justin: It’s just, last night I got a phone call from someone.

Rachel: I see.

Jay: Wait, “from someone”?!

Jay: From who?

Justin: I don’t know.

Jay: Huh?

Justin: I just heard silence for a minute and then the sound of the phone hitting something.

Jay: Hmmmmmmmm.

Jay: Well, I don’t remember making a phone call.

Troy: Me neither, good sir.

Roman: I certainly didn’t make a call.

Annabelle: I didn’t make a call.

Tammy: I was asleep all night.

Tammy: But I checked my phone this morning, and I didn’t accidentally make a call.

Elliot: I didn’t call you.

Elliot: Trust me, you’d know if I’d call you late at night.

Pierce: Huh. This is not what I was expecting.

Justin: I wasn’t expecting it either.

Pierce: Huh?

Justin: It’s just, it’s one thing to deny going downstairs, like Cassy did

Justin: It’s another to deny making a phone call.

Tammy: I really didn’t call you though.

Justin: I believe you,

Justin: But it’s strange that no one’s owning up to it.

Jay: Why wouldn’t someone own up to it?

Jay: After all, it’s just a phone call, right?

Buck: Yeah, it’s just a damn phone call!

Buck: SO OWN UP ASSHOLE!

Justin: Maybe…

Justin: Maybe it wasn’t just a phone call.

Buck: What?!

Buck: How could it not be?!

Buck: You said there wasn’t e-fuckin-ough to go off of, right?!

Buck: So what’s keeping the jackass who did it from speaking?

Justin: While your tough nature suits you, it doesn’t in this moment.

Buck: Huh?!

Justin: There’s a good reason the person who caled isn’t speaking up.

Justin: And that person is…

PICK SOMEONE

Question: Who made the phone call?

Answer: Maria Albright

Justin: It could only have been you!

Justin: Maria was the one who made the call.

Justin: She couldn’t speak up because she is dead.

Buck: Oh.

Buck: OH!

Buck: I am so sorry Maria.

Elliot: Why did Maria make a call?

May: And why to you?

Justin: I’m not sure on the second question,

Justin: But I have a good idea as to why she made the call.

Justin: It has something to do with her death.

Elliot: Oh, I see.

May: But couldn’t the killer have called you.

Pierce: I doubt that.

Pierce: If I were a killer, I wouldn’t call someone and say “Hey I just killed someone. How are you?”

May: I guess that makes sense.

Cassy: You’re forgetting something.

Cassy: When we checked Maria’s room, her phone didn’t have the call you got on her phone.

Cassy: How could she have called you?

Justin: …

Justin:  _(Of course, this is all beginning to make sense now.)_

Justin:  _(Our level of confusion was beneficial to both Monokuma and the killer.)_

Justin: _(But now, I see the truth.)_

Justin: Occam’s Razor.

Cassy: What?

Tammy: Hold on a minute!

Tammy: You got asked a serious question and now you’re deflecting?!

Justin: What?!

Tammy: We already know she got killed by the knife.

Tammy: Why are you bringing a different blade into the mix?

…

Tammy: What’s everyone looking at me like that for?

Justin: It’s just that’s not what Occam’s Razor is.

Tammy: Then what is it?

Andy: It’s a principle that states that the simplest solution is the correct solution.

Tammy: Oh.

Tammy: So, what is the simplest solution here?

Justin: If Maria didn’t use her phone to call me, then she used someone else’s.

Jay: Wait, if she was in someone else’s room…

Justin: Exactly.

Justin: Whoever’s room she called from is where she was killed.

Justin: And the person whose room it is is the killer.

Tammy: Alright, smartypants, whose room was she in?

Justin: That is also very simple.

Cassy: …

PICK SOMEONE:

Question: Whose room was Maria in?

Answer: Roman Grace

Justin: It could only have been you!

Justin: Roman Grace.

Justin: I formally nominate you as the person who killed Maria Albright.

Roman: Wha-wha-WHAT?!!!!!!!

Roman: That’s nuts!

Cassy: Is it?

Cassy: Because we found a message in Maria’s room of you inviting her over.

Roma: Yeah, but I told you she never showed up.

Justin: Face it Roman.

Justin: Everything about this murder makes more sense if you were the one who committed it.

Roman: Wha-HOW?!

May: Well, you were with us when we were washing dishes.

May: You could have taken the knife.

Andy: Justin did say you were someone who could undo the knot with ease.

Troy: You would have easily moved the statue carefully, good sir.

Troy: If I can still call you that.

Elliot: Plus, you’re plenty strong.

Elliot: It would have been easy for you to take the statue upstairs.

Justin: See Roman?

Justin: I’d suggest giving up quietly.

Roman: Why would I give up?

Roman: I’M not the murderer.

Roman: I’M not the one trying to pull some sort of stunt by blaming someone.

Roman: I’M not the one trying to get us all killed!

Roman: If anything, YOU should give up!

Justin: I see.

Justin: Well, this literally is a do-or-die situation for both of us right now.

Justin: I had a feeling you wouldn’t go quietly.

Justin: So Roman,

Justin: Can you defend yourself?

Roman: Of course I can!

Roman: After all, I didn’t do it!

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Roman: Setting aside those other stupid points.

Roman: The fact is you can’t prove Maria went into my room.

Roman: No one saw her.

Roman: No one saw me either.

Roman: So, until you can prove something WORTH A DAMN

Roman: Then you have nothing on me.

Tammy: But the rest of the case makes sense if you did it.

Roman: SHUT UP!

Roman: That’s all his doing!

Rachel: Someone’s desperate.

Roman: SHUT UP!!!!

CCOA:

Roman: No one saw me either.

Truth Bullet: Duke’s Account

Justin: You’ve got that wrong!

Justin: I believe someone DID see you.

Justin: Kind of.

Duke: Kind of?!

Duke: Who “kind of” sees someone?!

Justin: You do, Duke.

Justin: You explained to me that without your glasses you can’t tell people apart.

Duke: Oh. Right. That is true.

Justin: Duke told us that he saw someone in the hall last night.

Justin: But he couldn’t tell who it was.

Justin: However, I believe that person is Roman.

Cassy: Duke also told us that the person has a lot of fabric on them.

Cassy: While what Roman is wearing is warmer, Duke said that this person should be suffering from heat exhaustion.

Cassy: So what gives?

Justin: I was just getting to that.

Justin: While we can’t 100% prove who Duke saw, that line gives me an idea.

Justin: The extra fabric that Duke mentioned…

Justin: Was the tapestry.

Cassy: I see…

Cassy: So, while we can’t prove who Duke saw,

Cassy: We can determine that whoever Duke saw was holding the tapestry.

Justin: Plus, we can limit the suspects this way.

Justin: If Duke saw someone with the tapestry,

Justin: That means from here on, all of the girls are clear.

Roman: WHAT?! Why?!

Justin: Because Duke saw someone in the boys hallway.

Justin: If they had the tapestry, then that means only a boy could have killed Maria.

Roman: What if Duke is lying?!

Justin: That doesn’t change much.

Roman: …?!

Justin: Either Duke is telling the truth, and one of us guys did it,

Justin: Or Duke is lying and he did it.

Justin: Either way, we couldn’t in good conscious accuse a girl at this point.

Roman: …

Roman: Fine.

Roman: So, how do we determine that Duke is telling the truth anyway?

Roman: I mean, he is a bit shady.

Duke: That is slanderous!

Duke: When, how, and where could I have done any such thing for this murder plan?

Annabelle: Well, you are in the gym a lot.

Annabelle: You could have been figuring out where the lock and key was.

Duke: What are you talking about?!

Duke: I’m in there studying muscle use!

Duke: How the chemicals in the human body react under stress is amazing.

Justin: Setting aside the obvious for now, we should figure out who knew about the back room in the gym.

Justin: I mean, I didn’t know about it until after we found Maria’s body.

Justin: So, let’s discuss this.

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Annabell: Like I said, Duke is in the gym often.

Annabelle: He could have been looking around for things to use in his murder plot.

Duke: The same could be said for you.

Duke: Although, I do have to respect Justin’s deductions that a man was the killer in this.

Duke: So, who else knew about the room?

Buck: Well, I knew about the room because of the basketball thing we did.

Buck: I met Pierce in there and asked him to be the ref.

Elliot: Similarly, I also knew of the room’s existence because of the basketball game.

Elliot: I helped Pierce get the basketballs out while Buck was getting Justin on his team.

Elliot: But like Justin said, I can’t be the killer.

Pierce: I put the balls away while everyone was resting,

Pierce: With some help from Andy and Annabelle, of course.

Tammy: I think Maria had to have known the existence of the room.

Tammy: After all, we found the ladder from that room, right?

Tammy: Maria used it to hang the tapestry.

CCOA:

Tammy: Maria used it to hang the tapestry.

Truth Bullet: Tapestry Hanging Ceremony

Justin: You’ve got that wrong!

Justin: Tammy, I wasn’t there for the ceremony itself.

Justin: So could you help me fill in some blanks?

Tammy: Of course!

Justin: I’m guessing that Maria held onto her tapestry until she hung it up.

Tammy: That’s right.

Justin: So, did she get the ladder while holding her tapestry?

Tammy: Of course not.

Tammy: She didn’t want to ruin the tapestry.

Tammy: Roman got it for her.

Tammy: He was like “I’ll do anything for you, my sweet.”

Tammy: Then Buck told him where it was, and then-

Tammy: …

Tammy: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Justin: I see.

Justin: Thank you Tammy.

Justin: So Roman DID know where the step-ladder was.

Justin: So he could have easily gotten it to take the tapestry down.

Justin: After all, he did it before.

Jay: Wait, why did you say “step-ladder”?

Jay: Isn’t “ladder” good enough?

Cassy: Trust me, you don’t want to get into this with him.

Cassy: He gets weird about it.

Roman: …

Roman: Yeah yeah, so I moved the ladder once.

Roman: That doesn’t mean anything.

Justin: You’re right. On its own, it doesn’t mean anything.

Justin: But put together with everything else we know, it is the last thing we needed to confirm that you killed Maria.

Roman: Hold on! Isn’t that a bit excessive?

Justin: Not really.

Justin: We know you invited her to your room.

Justin: We know you could move the statue.

Justin: And we know you took the knife.

Roman: Now you’re being ridiculous!

Justin: Huh?

Roman: You think I took the knife?!

Roman: Honestly, you just say things you can’t prove.

Roman: “Maria entered your room, Roman.” You can’t prove that.

Roman: “You took the knife, Roman.” You can’t prove that!

Roman: “You’re the spawn of Satan, Roman.” YOU CAN’T PROVE THAT!

REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN

BEGIN!

Roman: So, I helped with the dishes.

Roman: Why does that make me the person who took the knife?

Roman: Why am I the primary suspect?

Roman: Have you forgotten?

Roman: Three other people did the dishes with me.

Roman: They could have been the one to have taken the knife.

ADVANCE

Justin: Have you also forgotten that May isn’t a viable suspect anymore?

Justin: We can’t suspect everyone who helped with the dishes.

Roman: OK, but that still leaves two other people who could have done it.

Roman: Besides, this is just when the dishes were being done.

Roman: It was only noticed that the knife went missing then.

Roman: For all we know, it could have went missing earlier.

Roman: So accusing me, based on this,

Roman: Is absolutely ridiculous.

CCOA:

Roman: For all we know, it could have went missing earlier.

Truth Bullet: Monobird Picture #2

Justin: I’ll cut through your lies.

Justin: Now you’re the one being ridiculous.

Roman: Huh? What are you talking about?

Justin: I figured whoever did it would try something like this.

Justin: But lucky for those who didn’t kill, I have proof.

Roma: Huh? You’re bluffing!

Roman: What kind of proof could you possibly have?!

Justin: This.

Roman: Monobird’s picture?

Roman: What is this for?

Justin: If you look closely, you can see it.

Roman: …

Roman: GAH!

Cassy: See what?

Justin: Right here.

Justin: On the table, next to some of the food.

Justin: You can clearly see it,

Justin: The knife that killed Maria!

…

May: So Roman really did kill her.

Roman: HOLD IT!

Roman: Stop naming me as the killer just because Justin is making it look convenient!

Roman: You have forgotten that Troy and Jay were also there.

Roman: They could have taken it as well.

Roman: I suggest we don’t have a vote until this gets cleared up.

Justin:  _(Why are you trying to prolong the inevitable Roman?)_

Justin:  _(What is your endgame?)_

Justin:  _(Everyone believes it already.)_

Justin:  _(I think you know you’ve lost too.)_

Justin:  _(So why are you still fighting?)_

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Roman: Troy and Jay were also there washing dishes.

Roman: One of them could have done it.

May: I know that!

May: But considering everything else about this case,

May: It could only have been you.

Roman: You mean all the hogwash?

Roman: Troy and Jay spent time in the gym, they could have gotten the tapestry down.

Roman: Troy and Jay did well in the arm wrestling contest, they could have moved the statue.

Roman: There is no reason to single me out!

CCOA:

Roman: Troy and Jay did well in the arm wrestling contest, they could have moved the statue.

Truth Bullet: May’s Account

Justin: You’ve got that wrong!

Justin: Roman, I know you’re desperate,

Justin: But this is sad, even for you.

Roman: I might be desperate, but only because you keep trying to pin the blame on me!

Roman: And what’s all this about?

Justin: May told me something about dishwashing yesterday.

Justin: She said that Troy and Justin had a contest to see who could clean the most dishes.

Roman: Yeah, so? What about it?

Justin: I’m having a hard time believing that after excessively cleaning dishes,

Justin: Either of them would have the energy to move the statue and the body.

Justin: So that only leaves you.

Jay: He’s right. I was really tired after doing dishes.

Troy: I agree, good sir.

Troy: But rest assured, it seems like we will live long enough to not tie at something for once.

Roman: Don’t count me out just yet!

Roman: So I was the only one of the four who could have taken the knife.

Roman: So what?

Roman: As long as you can’t prove that Maria entered my room,

Roman: You don’t have a leg to stand on!

Justin: …Hm.

Roman: What was THAT for?!

Justin: You’re right.

Cassy: What?

Justin: I can’t prove that Maria entered your room.

Roman: I knew it.

Roman: Well, I’m not the murderer guys, so let’s figure out-

Justin: But who says I needed to?

Roman: Uh, I did. You accused me of murder, and I asked for proof.

Roman: You didn’t give me sufficient evidence, so we’re moving on.

Justin: Just because I can’t prove she entered your room, doesn’t mean that I can’t prove you did it.

Roman: …What did you say?

Justin: I just have to prove something else.

Roman: Oh yeah! What?!

Justin: I just have to prove you entered Maria’s room.

Justin: After all, the killer had to enter Maria’s room to create the fake Maria and drop the key off.

Justin: If I can prove you did that,

Justin: No, if you were the ONLY one who could do that,

Justin: Then it’s game over for you.

Justin: And that is going to be 100 times easier.

Roman: …

Roman: Oh THAT’S rich!

Roman: You think you can do that?

Roman: I’d like to see you try!

NON-STOP DEBATE

BEGIN!

Roman: You honestly believe that you can prove that I went to Maria’s room?

Roman: You can’t even prove she went to my room.

Roman: How do you expect to do that?

May: Roman, why?

Roman: What is this?

Sophie: How could you have done such a thing?

Roman D-Don’t look at me like I did it!

Buck: Why can’t you just accept defeat and have some good sportsmanship?

Roman: What are you talking about?!

Roman: I’m just down.

Roman: I’m not out!

Roman: Besides, anyone could have entered Maria’s room.

Roman: She was already dead, right?

Andy: I will never forgive you.

Roman: STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!

CCOA:

Roman: Besides, anyone could have entered Maria’s room.

Truth Bullet: Roman’s Message

Justin: You’ve got that wrong!

Justin: Perception is important.

Roman: What?

Justin: While it’s true that anyone COULD have gone into Maria’s room,

Justin: No one KNEW that.

Justin: To everyone but the killer, Maria was still alive.

Justin: Entering would have been certain death.

Justin: There’s also the fact that none of us knew about the nighttime rule being void if the inhabitor of the room is dead until I asked Monokuma during the investigation.

Roman: So, where does that leave me?

Justin: It leaves you with this message you left.

Justin: Not only did you invite Maria to your room,

Justin: But according to it, she also invited you to hers.

*Click*

Roman’s Voice on the machine: Hey Maria. Listen, I was wondering if we could change the meeting place to my room instead of your room. I know you invited me and all, but I’m a little tired out from doing dishes. If you’re tired as well, you don’t have to, but you have a standing invitation to my room tonight if you do. Thanks sweetie.

*Click*

Roman: …

Justin: So, You were the only one who had permission to go into her room at night.

Justin: Combined with everything else, I’d say it’s safe to assume that you did it.

Justin: After all, it all makes sense now.

…

…

…

Justin: I see..

Justin: In that case, let’s vote!

Roman: WAAAAIIIIIIIT!!!

Roman: The tapestry!

Buck: What about it dumbass?!

Buck: We already proved you could get it!

Roman: Yeah, but you didn’t prove something else.

Roman: You didn’t prove it was in a room!

Annabelle: What?

Roman: Duke only saw it the hall.

Roman: If you don’t prove that the tapestry was ever in a room,

Roman: Then your whole case falls apart!

Cassy: …

Cassy: He’s just spouting nonsense now.

Cassy: I say we just vote.

Justin: Why not entertain his idea?

Cassy: Do you have a death wish?

Justin: No.

Justin: But I do have the proof he’s asking for.

Justin: But I need to get him to listen first…

PERSONA PUMMELING

BEGIN!

Hello. It’s me, one last time for this trial, and maybe for the fic. I’m not sure yet. Either way, DR vets aren’t going to recognize this either. However, it is just this fanfic’s version of Bullet Time Battle/Panic Talk Action/Argument Armament. Basically, the person you’re arguing puts on a mask to protect themselves from the reality they don’t like. Your job is to break through that and confront them with the truth. Simple enough. However, since this is just a written piece of work and not a game, the actual statement aren’t going to be put in sporadically. Instead, the action is just going to be described. Sorry, but that’s the limits of this fanfic. I still hope you enjoy this bit.

Roman Grace-Persona Forming:

Roman rises onto a pedestal, takes a knee, gains huge bronze muscles, a broze version of the world drops down as he lifts it, and an olive branch forms a crown on his head.

Justin Arbil-Persona Forming:

Justin’s armband forms into a trench coat this is white on the left side and black on the right side, combs his messy hair back in one motion, reaches into his trench coat and pulls out two guns, his left hand holding a black one, his right hand holding a white one.

Roman starts spouting a bunch of words out in an attempt to defend himself. The words begin to attack Justin, but Justin defends himself with his guns. When Justin shoots enough of them in a period of time, the words get sent back, and Roman’s persona deteriorates. First, the globe breaks. Then the pedestal. Then Roman’s statue’s upper body. Then the statue’s lower body. With Roman lacking defence, he has to ask his question as a last ditch effort to defend himself.

Roman: So tough guy, can you prove that the tapestry was ever in someone’s room? I bet you can’t!

Bits of Truth Bullet: The Phone Sound On

Correct Formation: Sound On The Phone

Justin: You’ve got the wrong!

Roman: ARGH!

The olive branch deteriorates and Roman is on the ground trying to hold onto it.

Justin: I really have to thanks you for this Cassy.

Cassy: Me?

Justin: Yes.

Justin: Because of you, we have the proof we need to confront Roman at his most hysterical.

Troy: What proof are we talking about, good sir?

Justin: Remember when I got that phone call?

Justin: I initially thought it was dropped on the floor.

Justin: But that wasn’t the case.

Justin: Because during the investigation Cassy called my room and dropped her phone on the ground.

Justin: Let’s compare the two sounds.

Justin: This was the call I got last night.

*Click*

Justin’s voice on the machine: Hello?…Hello?!…[soft thud]….click

*Click*

Justin: And this is the call I got from Cassy.

*Click*

Justin’s voice on the machine: Hello?…[loud bump] Ow! What was that?

Cassy’s voice on the machine: Sorry. I just wanted to test something. Come to my room so we can discuss this.

Justin’s voice on the machine: Uh, sure.

*Click*

Justin: Notice the difference?

Troy: Of course, good sir, but what is causing it?

Justin: The tapestry.

Troy: What?!

Justin: Last night, when Maria called me, the phone dropped onto the tapestry.

Justin: That muffled the sound as it hit the floor.

Troy: …

Troy: You never cease to amaze me, good sir.

Cassy: So, I guess the tapestry was in a room, huh Roman?

Roman: …

Cassy: What now?

Roman: …

Roman: …

Roman: …Ididntdoit

Cassy: Huh?

Roman: I didn’t do it, right?

Roman: I couldn’t have done it, right?

Roman: I love Maria, right?

Roman: Do I not anymore?

Tammy: Uh, is Roman still trying to defend himself?

Cassy: Sort of…?

Justin: It’s more like he doesn’t want to believe it himself.

Justin: Maybe that’s why he fought so hard.

Justin: He didn’t want to accept the truth.

Tammy: Oh..

Justin: But for all of us to survive, he has to accept the truth.

Justin: So I’m going to make him.

CLOSING ARGUMENT

BEGIN!

Act 1: With less than 24 hours left in the motive, the killer decided to take action. The killer planned that the body was going to be moved with the tapestry, but something got in the way. Maria had planned a tapestry hanging ceremony. This would be detrimental to their plan, but a quick fix came up. Buck told the killer where to get the ladder, and they went to get the ladder in the storage room. It was also they they learned of the existence of the lock and chain.

Act 2: Later that night, the killer, along with everyone else attended the feast that I put on. After the feast was over, the killer, along with Jay, Troy, and May volunteered to do the dishes. During that time, the killer swiped a knife and hid it among themselves so that they could use it for the killing. May noticed that it was missing. The killer intentionally didn’t call out the missing knife themselves so as not to draw attention to it. The four dishwashers looked around, but didn’t find the knife and decided to declare it missing.

Act 3: Once the nighttime announcement came on, the killer snuck into the gym. They quickly headed toward the storage room and got the step-ladder, as well as the lock and chain. They set up the step-ladder, climbed it, and then carefully took the tapestry down. They returned the step-ladder to the storage room. They then left the gym with the tapestry. On their way out the locked the gym with the chain. They then proceeded upstairs. However, the killer wasn’t expecting what would happen to the door. Soon after the killer left, Monobird bashed the door in and ruined the lock and chain so he could settle in for the night.

Act 4: The killer took the tapestry to their room. With everything in place, the killer called Maria over to their room. Maria was still on her way back, so they only left a message. However, Maria got the message, and went to the killer’s room. For one reason or another, the killer didn’t make the kill right away. I’m guessing that they were talking with Maria for a bit. However, Maria then decided to make a call to my room. While I was picking up the phone, a disturbing series of events unfolded on the other end. The killer, not wanting their plan ruined, decided to take out the knife and stabbed Maria in the neck from behind. Maria, now dying or dead dropped the phone. The phone hit the tapestry instead of the floor. As I was calling out, the killer picked up the phone and hung it up.

Act 5: With Maria now dead, the killer began their plan to hide the fact they did it. They unraveled the tapestry and placed Maria’s body in it. Once it was rolled up, the killer left their room to drop the body off elsewhere. However, they didn’t notice something. Duke had opened his door and saw the killer in tow with the tapestry. However, since he didn’t have his glasses on, he couldn’t tell who it was. After making it downstairs the killer noticed the door was ruined along with the lock and chain. Not having time to worry about that for now, the killer continued to the art room. The killer unrolled the tapestry so that Maria was now laying down in the middle of the art room. The killer was now worried about what to do with the key they had.

Act 6: The killer remembered the statue of Maria they had created earlier and decided to hide the key and create a witness at the same time. The killer carefully picked up the statue and began moving it upstairs. They moved it to Maria’s room. Since the killer was already invited into the room, they thought that they were OK to do it. They didn’t know that the rule stopped working once someone was dead. They placed the statue in Maria’s bed and put the key on her desk. They then waited for someone to show up.

Act 7: Eventually Sophie showed up after feeling better from the stomach problems she was feeling earlier. She noticed that the door was slightly open and checked on her fellow student. However, she couldn’t tell it was just a statue, or that the killer was also hidden in the room. When Sophie left for her room, the killer took the statue out of the bed, and made their way back downstairs with it. They wanted to put it back where it was, but with all the work they were doing, they didn’t have the energy to move it back. The killer returned to their room. In the morning, they joined the rest of us in our panic for Maria’s safety, as well as our grief for when she was found dead.

Justin: That is the conclusion that I have come to. And the only person who could have done all of this, is you! Roman Grace, the Ultimate Sculptor!

Justin: Well Roman?

Roman: …

Roman: Oh God. I did do it after all.

Roman: Whhhhhhhhhy?!

Roman: Mariaaaaaaaa!

Monokuma: Well, it looks like it’s time for a vote.

Monokuma: Remember, if you guess right, only the killer is punished.

Monokuma: But if you guess wrong, then then everyone besides the killer is punished.

Monokuma: So, who do you think did it?

Justin:  _(That’s a bit condescending, don’t you think?)_

VOTE!

Question: Who killed Maria Albright?

Answer: Roman Grace.

Monokuma: Alright, let’s check the results!

Results: 15 votes for Roman Grace.

Monokuma:The votes are in! Let’s see if you got it right.

A giant slot machine came rolling down and began spinning. Each slot had an image of one of us on it. Finally, it landed on three pictures of Roman. It declared us the winner and spat out Monocoins and flowers.

TRAIL COMPLETE!

“HA HA!” shouted Monokuma. “You got the killer correct in your first class trial! How splendid of you!” Everyone just stood in silence. “What’s the matter? I know Roman doesn’t have anything to be thankful for. But the rest of you should be celebrating! After all, you caught the killer and don’t have to die.”

“Why?” said Andy. “How could you do it? HOW COULD YOU KILL SOMEONE YOU SAID YOU LOVED?!” Andy charged at Roman, aiming to punch him.

Pierce grabbed Andy before the punch could land. “Woah, calm down” he said gently. “I know you’re mad. We all are. But you shouldn’t instinctively go to violence.”

Andy stood there for a few seconds. “DAMMIT!” he shouted, breaking free from Pierce’s grasp.

“No, I deserve it” said Roman. “I am the scum of the Earth.”

Cassy said “Although, there is something to Andy’s statement that rings true. Why did you kill Maria?”

“Oh yeah. We never figured that out” said Jay.

“Well Roman,” I said, “the floor is yours.”

Roman stood still for a few seconds. “…It wasn’t supposed to be like this” he said, starting to get upset. “Nothing worked out the way I planned it.”

“And what was this plan?” I asked.

“…Well, when I invited Maria to the room,” said Roman, “I had the tapestry and the knife, like you said. Maria had just walked in.”

[Last Night: Roman’s Room]

“Hey Roman” said Maria. “I’m sorry I didn’t get your call. I was still downstairs. Are you feeling OK?” she said, sitting down in a chair.

“Yeah, I’m just fine” said Roman. “More importantly, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

“What is it sweetie?” asked Maria.

Roman took out the knife and set it on the nightstand. “Kill me” he said.

[Present]

“You-You wanted to die?!” said Cassy.

“Yeah” said Roman.

[Last Night: Roman’s Room]

“…I don’t understand” said Maria.

“You only have less than an hour to save your parents” said Roman. “Do you want to save them?”

“Well, I’d be lying if I said I wanted them dead” said Maria. “But-”

“Then do it! Your parents are the kindest, most loving adults I’ve ever met” said Roman. “I’m sure that whoever you bring home to meet next will be better than I ever was. And I bet your parents would want to meet them too. So kill me.”

“Roman, this is absurd” said Maria. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”

Then Monokuma’s late night announcement came on. “Attention Students! I know it’s night time, but thanks to some meddling from your classmate Pierce, a new rule has been added. Also, just a reminder, if you want to save your parents, you have less than an hour to kill someone. Thank you.”

“Besides,” said Maria, “even if I did kill you, I’d have to make it out of the class trial, or whatever that horrid bear said we had to do. And that means sacrificing everyone else as well.”

“I’ve already thought of that!” said Roman. “I asked everyone earlier and they said that they’d throw the trial just so you could escape.”

“I don’t know…” said Maria.

“No, it’s perfect!” said Roman. “I even brought your tapestry up so you could move me easily without anyone knowing where I was. I thought of everything.” Maria looked at him for a moment. The Maria stood up from the chair and began to place a phone call. “Wha-What are you doing?!”

“I’m calling everyone to confirm your plan” said Maria. “It’s a dangerous plan, and if everything isn’t in place, it will all fall apart.”

[Present]

“I began to panic” said Roman. “I didn’t know what to do. I lied about getting everyone to sign off on this plan. I just said that to make her feel better. But now I was going to be exposed. As a traitor who was playing into Monokuma’s hands. I was giving him everything he wanted. That’s when I grabbed the knife.”

“I see” said Cassy.

Roman continued “The next thing I know I was covered in blood and Maria was on the floor. I didn’t know what was going on. I picked up the phone and hung it up.”

“What did you do after that?” I asked.

“I…I went to the bathroom and threw up” said Roman. “I couldn’t handle what I just did. At first, I was just going to surrender and accept my punishment. But then a thought entered my mind. ‘This monster got me to turn on Maria. This is the most horrible feeling that I’ve ever felt in my life.I wouldn’t subject even my worst enemies to it.’ And that’s when I decided to follow through with the plan myself. The statue thing came as an epiphany, like Justin said.”

“But why did you want to die in the first place?” said Cassy.

“I WAS SCARED!” snapped Roman. “I-I didn’t know what to do. I felt afraid. If the Ultimate Killer could kill our parents, then what else could he do? He made me turn on the most important, most precious person in my life. If he could do that, then what could he do to all of you who are mostly strangers? I don’t want what I’m going through for anyone else here.”

“I understand how you feel Roman,” I said, “but we are all in this situation together. It’s better to tell us your concern than to hide them We could help.”

“I know…” said Roman. “I know! GOD I feel like an idiot! I fell for this stupid trap, and now none of it even mattered. I didn’t escape, I couldn’t save you for this mind tortue, and Maria is dead for no reason! I’m fucking pathetic! *sniff* Well…at least our parents are alive, I guess.”

“Welllllllllllll, mostly” said Monokuma.

“Huh? What the fuck do you mean, ‘mostly’?” said Buck.

“You” said Roman. “You promised that you wouldn’t kill our parents if someone killed someone else. And…that happened…”

“That’s true” said Monokuma. “And I upheld my end of the bargain. But that doesn’t mean that your parents can’t die.”

Everyone froze. “What does that mean?!” I shouted at Monokuma.

“I am sorry, Justin” said Monobird. “But late last night, your mother took her own life.” I was completely frozen. “Between the murder of her father and you being placed in this situation, it was just too much for her to bare.”

I fell to the ground. I didn’t know what to do. Mom was…dead?

“YOU BASTARD!” shouted Roman. I looked up. “THIS IS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” He took out a hammer and chisel. “I’M GOING TO DIE ANYWAY! I MIGHT AS WELL GO DOWN SWINGING AT YOUR SORRY ASS!” Roman began running toward Monokuma.

“Ah ah ah” said Monokuma. “I can’t have you doing anything rash. Because for you, Roman Grace, the Ultimate Sculptor, IT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!” Monokuma took out a gavel and hit a buzzer that appeared in front of him.

A screen popped up on the buzzer showing the phrase” Game Over. Roman Grace has been found Guilty. Time for the Punishment!” A pixel Monokuma began going after a pixel Roman, but the pixel Roman began running at him and the pixel Monokuma ran away. In reality, Roman was rushing the stand that Monokuma was perched upon. Roman jumped up to strike Monokuma. However, before Roman could do any damage, a collar grasped around his neck. The sudden whiplash made Roman drop his hammer and chisel. The collar was attached to a tether that began to drag him to a place beyond the courtroom. Roman kept flying through the air until he hit the back of a coffin. The coffin closed on him. There was a clear, face-shaped window so that Roman could look out, and that we could look in.

A title card popped up and read” Roman Grace’s Execution: Concrete Coffin!” Roman began to look around and saw two cement mixers back up to the coffin he was in. The coffin opened up on the two angled sides of the top, and the cement mixers adjusted their slides to meet the two hatches. Suddenly, the two cement mixers begin letting in cement into Roman’s coffin.

Roman begins to squirm a bit as he starts to notice that cement is pouring down on him. The mixers begin to speed up. The cement fills the coffin quickly. Soon, it reaches his head and he is entirely covered in cement.

The coffin opens, and pulls back. We see Roman’s face inside a block of cement. Roman’s face is that of fear and torment. Monokuma shows up, and uses a tiny pickax to hit the wall. The surrounding blocks of cement clear up, leaving a statue of Roman. Only we know that that’s him under there.

Then, from behind Roman, a giant statue of Monokuma appears. It is rising out of the ground. Once it has fully risen, the statue slips and falls forward. The giant statue of Monokuma hits Roman on its way down, crushing him. Blood splatters everywhere. A pool of blood seeps from under the Monokuma statue as we see Roman’s arms stretched out, no longer covered in cement.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Andy cries out! He faints soon after. Everyone else looked upon what just happened with horror.

“So, what did you think?” said Monokuma.

“It’s awful” said Annabelle, panicked.

“How rude” said Monokuma. “I worked a long time on this.”

“It’s horrible” said Elliot.

“I can’t stand it!” said Jay.

“HEY HEY HEY!” said Monokuma. “Now you’re just being mean.”

“This is the most heinous thing I think I’ve ever seen” said Duke.

“It is the stuff you can only find in the nightmares of the truly demented” said Troy.

“Now THAT’S more like it” said Monokuma.

I couldn’t think of anything to say. This on top of finding out that my mom just died was a lot to process. What could I do?

Buck looked over at me and asked “Hey Justin, are you alright? … Well, alright enough, anyway? I don’t think that any of us can be considered to be ‘alright.’ Especially not after what just happened.”

“He does look pale” said Rachel. “Do you need any assistance?”

I stared at them for a moment. “… Huh?” I said. “I’m alright, I’m alright…I guess… I can at least walk.”

“Well, that’s always good to hear, good sir” said Troy. “Still, I do not blame you one bit.”

“Yeah. I can’t imagine what you’re going through” said Elliot.

“I’m fine, really” I said.

“Don’t lie” said Cassy. “You told Roman he should have come to us with his problems. So come at us with yours.”

“I too…am afraid” I said. “Roman might have killed Maria, but he has a point. If he could kill all of our parents, or make him turn on Maria, then what CAN’T the Ultimate Killer do?”

“…You shared a similar thought before” said Cassy. “When Monokuma first infested the school.”

[Earlier]

“I’m afraid” I answered.

“What?!” said Duke, taken aback.

“I’m afraid” I admitted again. “Monokuma- no, the Ultimate Killer, has the ability to just kill us all instantly. Yet he wants us to play this sick game of his. There has to be a reason for it.”

…

“Look at what he’s done overnight. He trapped Monobird. Replaced all of the escape traps with deadly ones. Set up a camera system. Set up a way to announce things. Took our phones right out from under us. All in the span of one night. This guy’s no joke. If he wants us to play this killing game, then sooner or later we will play this game whether we want to or not. That’s why I’m afraid of him.”

[Present]

“Yeah…” I said.

“However, this is just more reason to work together” said Cassy. “If we work together, we can surely find a way to stop him and bring him to justice.”

“For Maria” said Sophie.

“For Roman” said Pierce.

“For my Master” said Troy.

“For those office workers you told us about” said Annabelle.

“For everyone he’s killed” said Elliot.

“For your grandfather” said Jay.

“For your mother” said Cassy.

I looked at them all. They were right. So long as we work together, we could take down the Ultimate Killer.. I started crying. “Thank you” I said.

“Uh, so who’s going to help Andy” said Tammy.

“I got it” said Pierce. Pierce picked up Andy. “Should we head up?”

We all walked toward the elevator. We rode it up in silence. When we got up, it was almost night time. We each made our way to our rooms. We couldn’t think of doing anything else. Two of us had just died. We weren’t in the mood to compete. We weren’t in the mood to talk. We weren’t in the mood to eat. All we could do was lie down and go to sleep.

Later That Night-The Girl’s Hallway

Cassy’s door slowly opens. Cassy looks around and walks out. Cassy makes her way to the stairs. “Where are you going?” asked someone. Cassy, spooked turned to meet the voice and saw it was Pierce.

“What is it to you?!” asked Cassy.

“It’s just it’s dangerous to be walking around the school alone” said Pierce.

“It’s more dangerous to be with someone” said Cassy.

“That might be true” said Pierce. “But I feel like no one is going to try anything after what just happened. Let me help you with what you’re doing.”

“…Fine” said Cassy. “We’re going to the elevator.”

“OK by me” said Pierce. The two of them go to the elevator and ride it down. “What are you looking for?”

“I thought I saw something during Roman’s execution” said Cassy. “I want to check it out.”

Pierce nodded. The elevator reached the courtroom. “Here we are” said Pierce.

Cassy went to the execution grounds and began searching. She eventually finds what she’s looking for, and takes a picture. “I’m done here, let’s go back up” said Cassy.

Pierce and Cassy return to the elevator and start riding it up. “So, what did you find?” asked Pierce.

“I’m not sure” said Cassy.

“Well, when you’re ready to talk, you know where to find me” said Pierce.

“I bet you’ll find me first” said Cassy.

“Ha ha. You know me too well” said Pierce.

“Maybe not well enough” said Cassy.

The elevator opens at the top, and the two of them head back to their rooms.

**Chapter 1: A Smiling Face Betrays The Truth: END**

**Students Remaining: 14**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter has come to an end. What did you think? Did you enjoy the trial style? Or the things I added to the trial? I did take away some things, but that's because I couldn't think of a good way to implement them into the trial.
> 
> Now, this might just be because I've been planning this, but I will say I thought the culprit might have been obvious. I did a fair amount to try and throw you off the trail, but I'm not sure how much that worked.
> 
> Anyway, this did take a shorter amount of time than expected. However, the beginning of Chapter 2 will have a bigger break I believe. Just because this chapter was a little intense to write, and I have a lot of things coming up. I hope you'll enjoy it when it comes out though.


	13. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 2: Talk is Cheap, Death is Free (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the first trial, the remaining class wishes to not make the same mistake again. But can they hold to it?

The night after the first trial. Location: ???

The gold light peers through a portal to see the horrors that have occured. “I knew it was too good to be true” the light says to itself. “Did Monkuma know I couldn’t interfere unless he did something? Or is there another reason? Either way, I just need to find another way to help them. Hopefully before the body count becomes all of them. However, if I’m reading this right, there is going to be some help with that.”

Abandoned Hope’s Peak Academy Building:

I had the dream again. I was being dragged away, begging not to, while an evil smile haunted me. Only this time I saw some more detail. I was in a courtroom. Why was I in a courtroom at this young of an age? Oh yeah, grandpa. He probably had something to do with it. But why did I get involved? Why am I screaming to be let go? Why is this smile looking at me? The smile gets closer and closer.

“GAH!’ I said waking up. I breathed heavily for a while. I tried going back to sleep, but my mind kept jumping back and forth between Maria’s body, Roman’s execution, and that smile. It was only 2 am. “What do I do?” I said to myself. Just then I was reminded of some things.

[The first day of Monkuma rule]

“I just make statues of Maria to relax” said Roman.

[The night of the arm wrestling contest]

“By the way, one of you was complaining about the low amount of clay. I’ll make sure that they bring it along with the next food delivery” said Monokuma.

[Present]

“…Well, normally taking advice from killers isn’t something I would do” I said. “But I guess in this case, it’s better than nothing.” I got out of bed and went down to the art room. Maria’s body, the statue, and the tapestry have all been moved. I looked around and eventually found the clay. “Now let’s see…from what I remember from art class…” I prepared the clay and sat down at a station. I began by taking a lump of clay and start working on it. I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I began to work on the clay. I wasn’t an expert like Roman was, but I hope my stuff looks fine. I just kept working away at it.

The next thing I remember is someone telling me to “wake up…” I opened my eyes, not knowing that they were closed and saw the light of day and a figure hovering over me. “Good sir, wake up!” the voice said again.

I adjust to the light and saw Troy through the haze. “…Troy?” I say.

“HE LIVES!” shouted Troy.

“Oh thank goodness” said Jay.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Troy looked at me and said “You weren’t in your room this morning, good sir. We thought something bad had happened to you. So we went looking for you.”

“Hey, he’s in here!” Jay called out to everyone else. “He’s alive!” Soon everyone was in here.

“What happened?” asked May.

“We just found him sleeping” said Jay. “He was just hunched over in a seat.”

“What were you thinking?!” shouted Cassy. “Why did you leave your room?!”

“…Well-” I said.

“Don’t yell at him” said Pierce, who I noticed had received a big black eye on his left eye since the last time I saw him. “He’s alright, and that’s all that matters.”

“Pierce…your eye…” I said.

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re alright” said Pierce.

“…But what he was doing here is a mystery” said Annabelle. “And I wouldn’t mind knowing.”

“Of course” said Rachel.

“So, um, what were you doing in here?” asked Sophie.

“Well…I kind of had a nightmare last night” I said. “I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. I then remembered that Roman says he sometimes makes statues to relax. So I’d thought I’d try it.”

“I get it” said Pierce. “So, what did you make statues of?”

“Well, I…” I began when I remembered something. “Oh FUCK!” I called out and went back to my station. The statue I was working on was on its side, and pressing against itself. “Oh no” I said.

“What’s wrong?” asked Jay.

“It’s just *sigh* the statue of my mom I was working on got ruined” I said.

“I am sorry to hear that, good sir” said Troy, putting his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure you can fix her.”

“I guess you’re right” I said. I picked her up and put her back on the station. “So, are we all getting breakfast?” I asked.

“Huh? Oh yeah” said Jay.

“I kind forgot about breakfast actually” said Duke. “I was too worried about what happened yesterday. And then Justin was missing. I became double worried.”

“Does this mean you like him?” asked Annabelle.

“Huh? Like, like him like him?” asked Duke. “Not really. I can’t deny his appeal, but I don’t swing that way. I just got so worried because I saw two dead bodies yesterday. That’s two more than I usually see in a day.”

“Usually?” said Annabelle.

“Appeal?” I said.

Jay put his arm around me “Let’s just go get breakfast. We can continue talking in there.”

“Huh” I said. “Oh sure.” We all made our way to the dining area. We each made our own breakfast, and sat down to eat. I decided to ask Pierce “So, how did you get that black eye?”

Cassy stopped and stared at me. “It was nothing. Honestly” said Pierce.

“NOTHING?!” shouted Andy. “Cassy just started punching you when we found out that  Justin was missing! How can you call that nothing?!”

“Cassy?!”

“Yeah,” said Jay. “It was kind of hilarious actually. I mean, it wasn’t so funny at the time, but now that we know you’re safe, it was funny.”

“Why did she do that?” I asked.

“I can explain” said Pierce. “See, last night, I was going to grab a bite to eat. Cassy was too, and we met each other in the hall. Cassy, being Cassy, wanted to keep her distance, but I told her that it would be fine. In the moment I said ‘no one would try anything just after the trial.’ So when you went missing, Cassy thought someone might have killed you. She took that anger out on me for thinking I lied. But you’re alive, and that’s all that matters.”

Cassy looked at him. “I guess that makes sense” I said.

Cassy looked back at me and said “Right. Of course. More importantly, I would like to know something. How did you manage to figure out who killed Maria?”

“Yeah, I was wondering the same thing” said Jay. “Your performance was amazing.”

“I would like to know as well” said Annabelle. “You’re style of questioning and summarizing was second to none.”

“…I don’t know…” I said. “I just kind of figured out what was going on. Although, you guys played a huge part in it.”

“We did?!” asked Buck.

“Well yeah” I said. “If it wasn’t for the information you guys gave, we never would have made it out of there alive.”

“But you were the one who put it together” said Cassy. “How did you do that?”

I stared at her for a second. “I really don’t know. It just kind of came to me.”

“Maybe it has something to do with his hidden talent” said Duke. We all looked at him. “I mean, I know that chemical compositions come to me naturally. Maybe he has a knack for figuring things out.”

“You know what?” said Pierce. “I think you might be onto something.”

“Really?!” said Duke.

“It makes sense” said Andy. “We each had the pieces, but Justin is the one who put it all together. Maybe he has some sort of puzzle solving Ultimate talent.”

“But how could we test it?” said Tammy. “I mean, I could engineer a puzzle, but I don’t have the materials.”

“That’s a good point” said Jay. “How could we test it?”

We all stopped to think. “Hey, what about figuring out who is controlling Monokuma?!” said Annabelle. “That’s certainly a puzzle worth solving.”

“It is” said Cassy. “But I’ve been trying to figure it out since Monokuma trapped us in here, and I can’t figure it out.”

“Well, maybe it’s worth giving Justin a try” said Elliot. “He might figure it out in minutes.”

“What did you say?” said Cassy, with a dark look on her face.

“Do I need to spell it out for you?” said Elliot. “I’m saying that Justin may be better than you.”

“Do you want to be the next person we find dead?” said Cassy.

“I’m not better than Cassy” I said.

Cassy and Elliot looked at me and said “Huh?”

“Well, it’s more that we have different skill sets” I said. “Cassy is better at getting information than I am. During our investigation yesterday, she figured out different elements that I wouldn’t even think to test. She might also be better at figuring out stuff than I am as well, but she needs time to do it, and Monokuma doesn’t give us that luxury.”

“Indeed I do not” said Monokuma’s voice from nowhere. Monokuma mysteriously showed up and then continued talking. “And as I do not give you the luxury of time, FINISH YOUR BREAKFASTS QUICKLY! I’ve got something to show you all upstairs.” Monokuma left.

Not wanting to try his patience, we did as he said and finished breakfast. We then all headed upstairs to see what he wanted. We found him standing by the walled off hallway. “What do you want, fuckface?” asked Buck.

“I’m glad you asked” said Monokuma. “But I am sad that you called me a ‘fuckface.’”

“Consider yourself lucky I didn’t go further” said Buck.

“Very well. I will do that” said Monokuma. “Ahem. Now for the main event. You all congregating in the trial room made refurbishing this old building easier. So now I have this area done for you. You can explore and kill each other here to your heart’s content.”

I found this odd. “What about the rest of the first floor?” I asked.

“Silly Justin” said Monokuma. “You don’t know what’s on the rest of the first floor. So you don’t know how hard it is to refurbish it. DON’T QUESTION MY METHODS ANYMORE!”

“Alright, chill” I said. “You could have just said that without getting angry.”

“True…but I like getting angry” said Monokuma. “Anyway, it’s time for the reveal.” Monokuma grabbed the end of the wall and pulled it back to reveal the rest of the second floor. “Presenting, the second half of the second floor. That is all.” Monokuma disappeared.

We walked forward to see what this new area entitled. There were a lot of classrooms. “So THIS is where the classrooms were” Buck said. The left side had classrooms going most of the way down the hallway. At the end though, there was a bigger room. I thought to check that later. The right side had some classrooms, but it had something else. A big room that spanned the back half of the hallway. I decided to save that room for last.

I first looked through the classrooms. Most of them were empty. They all looked like regular classrooms. I found some of my fellow students in some of them though.

The first room I found that had others in it had Sophie, Tammy, and Elliot. “Oh, hello” I said, walking in.

“Hi” said Sophie.

“Hello” said Tammy.

“Hey there” said Elliot. “So, what do you think this room was used for?”

“Huh?” I said, confused.

“It’s just that the three of us were arguing about what kind of room this is” said Elliot.

I stood confused. “It’s a classroom” I said.

“We know THAT” said Tammy. “We just want to know what kind of classroom it is.”

I was even more confused. “Wha……” I said.

“You know, like ‘Is this a math classroom?’” said Sophie. “Or like a psychology classroom?”

“Oh” I said. “That’s what you mean. What makes you think that I would know?”

“Well DUH! Because your grandfather used to be the headmaster here” said Tammy.

“Yeah, and he was still doing some side-work for Hope’s Peak up until his death” said Elliot. “And since you spent so much time with him, I’d thought you would have known.”

_I guess that makes sense._  “Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly what kind of classroom this was” I said. “By the time I was born, this building had already been condemned.”

“Oh” said Elliot.

“This doesn’t resemble the classrooms at the current Hope’s Peak at all” I said. “I wonder why.”

“Good question” said Monokuma, popping up.

“AH!” I said.

“See, at this building, Hope’s Peak was more generalized” said Monokuma. “Back when this building was open, they had your regular classes, and just put similar students together. If I recall, this was a social sciences room. When this building become condemned, the headmaster at the time, your grandfather, thought it was time for a change and asked the new building to reflect that change. The result was making Hope’s Peak, more open ended.”

“Tell me something” said Elliot. “Why did this building get condemned?”

“And why are you refurbishing it?” asked Tammy. “If you hate Hope’s Peak so much, why do you want to bring this building back?”

“Well…I can’t answer that first question” said Monokuma.

“Why not?” asked Sophie.

“Because that would give away too much” said Monokuma.

“We’ll figure it out eventually” I said, defiantly.

“Well, I suppose given enough time here, you could” said Monokuma. “But what are the odds that you’ll be alive to figure it out are in the first place?”

I was worried. That was a good point, but I wasn’t going to let him know that. “What makes you think any more of us will be dead in the first place?” I said.

“Smooth” said Monokuma kind of sarcastically. “But I already know. I’m already working on the next motive.”

_That bastard._

“As for that second question, I have two answers. One, it’s to encourage you guys to kill each other in more creative ways. It would be boring if you each grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed someone in the throat EVERY time.”

“Um, what’s the other reason?” said Sophie, nervously.

“The other reason?” said Monokuma. “Why, because this is the Ultimate Killer’s old stomping grounds of course. He feels nostalgic whenever he sees students roaming around here. It’s a nice little gesture I do for him. But it’s mostly the first answer.”

“WHAT?! No way!” said Tammy.

“Yup!” said Monokuma. “It was here that he came to learn about the best possible ways to kill people.”

“Why would your grandfather allow that kind of talent in?” asked Elliot.

“He wouldn’t” I said. “You know, I always thought that claim was suspicious.”

“Suspicious or not, he just admitted he went to Hope’s Peak. He is the Ultimate Killer, isn’t he?” said Elliot.

“Well, technically, no. I’m just an AI programed by the Ultimate Killer. I’m like a tool he uses for killing. Much like a knife or a gun. Except I’m cuter” said Monokuma.

“As I was saying,” I said, “I thought it was suspicious, but now that know that you went to school here while my grandfather was headmaster, there’s no doubt in my mind. You didn’t come to Hope’s Peak to become the Ultimate Killer!” Everyone was shocked.

“Alright smartypants,” said Monokuma, “IF the Ultimate Killer didn’t come here to become the Ultimate Killer, then what DID he come to Hope’s Peak for?”

“Well…” I said. “I don’t know.”

“AHA!” said Monokuma. “So you can’t prove anything! You have no evidence.”

“Well…you kind of just gave me some circumstantial evidence, if I’m being honest” I said.

“Wha? HOW?!” asked Monokuma.

“You just asked me to prove it. You didn’t deny it” I said.

“Well, I deny it now” said Monokuma. “You didn’t let me get to that point.”

“No, it makes more sense that you didn’t come here to be the Ultimate Killer” said Tammy. “I mean, Hope’s Peak is meant to help, and since when has killing people helped anyone?”

“Wars. Coups. Making martyrs. Getting away from people who attack others. The uses for killing are endless” said Monokuma.

“Sure…” said Elliot. “But those are a very specific way of killing, with a more specialized type of person to deal with those things. You kill because you don’t like Hope’s Peak. That’s more of a specific end to your goals, not what those things might accomplish.”

“But, you also work at Hope’s Peak” said Sophie. “How does that work?”

“Why should I tell you?” said Monokuma. “I almost let something slip because of your mind games. I’m not going to let that happen.”

“Doesn’t like…” I said. Everyone looked at me. “THAT’S IT!”

“What’s it?” asked Elliot.

“The Ultimate Killer doesn’t LIKE the talent he was originally recruited for” I said. “THAT’S why he said he came here to be the Ultimate Killer. He would rather be a killer than his original talent.” Monokuma was mad. “Am I wrong?”

“NO MORE QUESTIONS!” Monokuma fled.

“Does that mean you’re right?” asked Sophie.

“I think I might” I said.

“Wait, people can NOT like their talents?” asked Tammy.

“Well, yeah” I said. “My grandfather ran into those kinds of people from time to time. He would always talk to them personally and get to know why they don’t like their talents. It would take some doing, but my grandfather could always convince them that their talents meant something.”

“Huh. Interesting” said Tammy.

“But why did he not do that with the Ultimate Killer?” asked Elliot. “Then we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“I…don’t know” I said. “Maybe he couldn’t get through to them? I really don’t know. This was before I was born. I didn’t know him back then.”

“I suppose that’s fair” said Elliot.

“Well, at least we know what this room was for” said Sophie.

“Oh yeah” said Tammy. “I had forgotten about that.”

“Well, I should get back to exploring” I said.

“Seeya!” said Elliot.

“Bye!” said Tammy.

“Later!” said Sophie. I left the room.

The next room I walked into that had anyone in it only had Buck. “Hey Justin” he said.

“Hey” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I was doing some self-reflection” said Buck.

“Oh?” I said.

“Yeah” said Buck. “Being in here, it reminds me of my old school. I had to keep my grades up if I wanted to be on the basketball team. I used to think of all that fucking school work as a means to an end. A way to do the thing I enjoy. But..”

“But…” I said.

“Just thinking of this horrible shittastic situation we’re in, I’d feel like those classes would come as a sweet relief. And now I just feel bad that I treated it the way I did. I mean, look around. It seems so peaceful now.”

“I guess compared to our current situation, class doesn’t seem so bad” I said.

“Exactly” said Buck. “And I’m thinking ‘it’s only peaceful here because there’s no one in here. Usually, it’s chaotic. But it’s the same with basketball. It’s chaos, but finding your way though it is what makes it satisfying. So I’m thinking that when I get out, I should start treating school work the same way.”

“I like that idea” I said. “I hope you do better.”

“Thanks” said Buck. I left.

The last classroom I found with someone in it had Cassie. “Um, hi” I said.

“Not now” she said. “I’m trying to look for clues.”

“Well…if it’s information that you want…” I said. I then informed her of the conversation Tammy, Sophie, Elliot, and I had with Monokuma.

“…I can’t believe I missed all of that.”

“Well, it’s just wrong place wrong time.”

“No. They invited me to come with them. But I refused.”

“Oh…”

“God, I am such an IDIOT!”

“No you’re not.”

“I am! I’m too focused on getting out that I miss an opportunity to do so.”

“It happens to the best of us…” I could tell she’s beating herself up. “Look, there was no way of knowing that would happen. It only happened because I joined the conversation.”

“So…you’re saying I should follow you constantly?”

“Well, no. I’m saying that it can happen at anytime. The point is you don’t know. So it’d be hard to get anything on your own. I know how hard it can be to open up at times, but sometimes it can be worth it.”

“…I think I get what you’re saying.”

“Great. I’m glad we had this talk.”

“I think I would like to hang around with you for the rest of the day though. You know, just because.”

“…OK. We can do that.”

“Where are you going next?”

“Well, I was going to go to the room at the end on the left.”

“OK, let’s go!”

We left the classroom and entered that room. It was a library with a computer lab. Rachel and Annabelle were there.

“Oh, hi there” said Annabelle.

“How do you two do?” asked Rachel.

“We’re doing alright…I think” I said.

“Yes” said Cassy. “It appears you two have been here for a while. What can you tell us about this place?”

“Straight to the point, I see?” said Rachel. “Well, it’s just as it looks like. It’s a library. There are a lot of book here. As you could probably guess, I took a glance at all of the history books.”

“Was there anything to report on them?” I asked.

“Yes” said Rachel. “These books are ancient. Well, not technically ancient. But they are rather old. I think these were the book that were here when this school was operational.”

“That’s weird” said Annabelle. “Because I was in the computer lab, and all of the computers seem rather up-to-date.”

“That’s strange” said Cassy.

“So, if the computers are up to date, do you think you could contact the outside world?” I asked.

“I tried that” said Annabelle, “but they won’t do that.”

“Really?” said Rachel.

“Yeah, it’s using a weird operating system” said Annabelle. “According to the computer, it’s called Kuma.O.S.”

“No doubt a gift from our gracious host” I said.

“Why would he bother installing his own operating system if he didn’t bother to update the GODDAM BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY?!” shouted Rachel.

_I have never seen Rachel like this before._

Cassy was thinking “…maybe it has something to do with the security. He had to hijack Monobird’s systems and install his security cameras and such. Maybe these computers had to be update.”

“Wait!” I said. “If these computers are connected to that, then it’s possible we might be able to reverse engineer it.”

“What do you mean?” said Rachel.

“Well, if they’re all on this Kuma.O.S., then it’s possible we could find a way around Kuma.O.S. by figuring it out on a computer that’s here.”

“Yeah. Yeah I think we could” said Annabelle.

“But we’d need someone who has an expertise with computers” said Cassy.

“What about Tammy. Maybe she could do it” I said.

“Good thinking” said Cassy. “We shall tell her at dinner.”

“Great” I said.

“You know, I’m starting to get it even more” said Cassy.

Annabelle tok out a notepad “Get what more?” she asked.

“Oh” said Cassy. “Well, I was having some trouble doing some detective work on my own. Justin is going around talking with everyone and in turn he is finding out all of this information. So I’m starting to see the benefits of getting out of my shell more…so to speak.”

“OK. OK” said Annabelle. “But as a detective, don’t you usually talk to witnesses?”

“OF COURSE!” said Cassy, defiantly. “What do you take me for?”

“It’s just…why aren’t you good at talking to people in this instance then?” asked Annabelle.

“Well…it’s just that…trying to get out of here is work. I’m a detective. I’m trying to solve a mystery. From the outset of this, you guys were presented as people I should be friends with. I don’t like mixing work with pleasure. When I’m at work, I like focusing on work. When I’m having fun, I like focusing on that. But in this situation, everything is jumbled. Are you my friends, or are you potential targets that I need to solve a mystery to save? I don’t know.”

“It’s both” I said.

“What?” said Cassy.

“It’s both” I repeated. “Well, I think you should treat it as both anyway.”

“How do you figure?” said Cassy.

“Well, I think Monokuma designed this to aggravate you specifically” I told her. “Like the three hour time limit on the investigation. He’s doing this to actively throw you off. Because he knows you’re a good detective when you work how you usually do.”

“So, you’re thinking he’s doing this to throw me off of my groove?” Cassy asked.

“I mean, yeah” I said. “You’re probably the biggest threat if you had time and the ability to investigate properly. So by taking all of that away, he’s trying to reduce you to the level of everyone else who doesn’t have experience solving high profile cases.”

“Hmmmm. You have a point” said Cassy. “Alright.”

“Alright what?” asked Annabelle.

“I’m going to try to break out of my usual style and adapt to this new situation. I can’t think like how I usually think if I want to bring everyone out of here” said Cassy.

“Oh. OK. That sounds fantastic” said Annabelle. “Now Justin…”

“Yes?” I asked.

“How did you figure that out?” Annabelle said.

“Well…I just thought of everything that’s happened so far” I said. “It seems like at every turn Monokuma wants to mess with Cassy.”

“That is entirely correct” said Monokuma popping up.

“GAH!” said Annabelle.

“But it seems like I should have been more worried about you, Mr. Arbil” said Monokuma.

“Well, how could you?” I asked. “After all, I have an unknown talent.”

“True…but you’re also the grandson of that jackass Westwood” said Monokuma. “If he wanted you in Hope’s Peak, then there’s no reason not to fear you.”

“So does this mean you fear all of us?” I asked.

“I-NO MORE QUESTIONS!” Monokuma said as he disappeared.

“Weird” said Annabelle.

“Although I think you were on to something” said Cassy. “I DO think he’s afraid of all of us. That’s why he wants us all dead.”

“I agree” I said. “But that presents a new question.”

“What’s that?” asked Cassy.

“If he’s afraid of all of us, then why doesn’t he just kill us all. He has the means.”

“True” said Cassy. “You did mention that the Ultimate Killer doesn’t like his actual talent right?”

“Yeah” I said.

“When did this happen?” asked Rachel.

“When I was talking with Elliot, Tammy, and Sophie” I said. “Monokuma showed up there too.”

“Fuck” said Rachel. “I gotta check on her later.”

“Still, there might be a connection. I’ll need to think on it a little more” said Cassy.

“OK” I said. “Shall we continue exploring?”

“I think we shall” said Cassy.

“I’m going to stay here” said Annabelle.

“Same” said Rachel.

Cassy and I left. We went into the big room across the hall. It was a theater and it appeared that a lot of people came here as well. We looked around for a minute. We then decided to talk to Troy and Jay.

“Hey how’s it going?” I asked.

“Well, it’s just me right now” said Jay. “Troy has been lost in deep thought since we got here.”

“Oh” I said. “Any reason why?”

“Not that I know of” said Jay. “As soon as he saw the stage, he suddenly got lost in thought. I’m standing on guard so no one takes him from behind.”

“Oh. You’re doing a great job then” I said.

“Thanks. That means a lot coming from you” said Jay.

“Let’s see what else we can find here” said Cassy. We looked by the area we entered an electrical box. “What’s this?” I ask, flipping one of the switches. It turned on a light on the stage. We saw Duke and Pierce get blindsided by it. “SORRY!” I called out as I flipped it back off.

“Why is this here though?” asked Cassy.

“I can explain” said Monokuma popping up. “…What, is no one going to go ‘GAH!’ anymore?”

“I think we’re used to it at this point” I said.

“If you say so” said Monokuma. “Anyway, this was set up while this building was still in use. I didn’t want to mess with the building plans. Unlike a certain bird. Can you believe he installed a computer lab?!”

“He did that?” asked Cassy.

“Oh yeah” said Monokuma. “I was just lucky none of you got to it before I arrived.”

“You’re also lucky that you have machine guns pointed at us” said Cassy.

“Yes indeed” said Monokuma. “I just might be the luckiest person in here.”

“What about Sophie?” I asked.

“Well…we’ll see about that. Soon there may come a time where her luck will be pitted against mine” said Monokuma. “Is that all?”

“Yeah” said Cassy.

“Grrrrrreat!” said Monokuma, disappearing again.

We went up to the sound room and unsurprisingly found May there. “Hey guys” said May. “What’s up?”

“We were just having a look around” I said. “What did you find?”

“Glad you asked” said May. “Look at this.” She pointed to the sound system for the stage. “This thing is ancient. BUT it produces some of the best sound imaginable. In a non-digital format, that is. Man, I have always wanted to use one of these things. Although it only takes records and cassettes. I hope those are easy to find around here.”

“Maybe you could check the library?” I said.

“There’s a library?” said May.

“Yeah, it’s across the hall” said Cassy.

“Cool” said May, walking off.

Finally we decided to inspect the stage. “There’s a lot of tape here” said Cassy.

“Yeah, that’s so the actors learn where they’re standing” I said

“It is?” said Cassy.

“Yeah” said Pierce, inserting himself into our conversation. “Did you not know that?”

“Well…I don’t know how common that information is” said Cassy.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right” said Pierce. “I only know that because Andy told me.”

“So why are you judging me?” asked Cassy.

“I don’t know” said Pierce. “Perhaps I couldn’t see right from wrong after what happened this morning.”

“Look, I’m sorry” said Cassy. “I just got really scared and really angry.”

“I know. It’s just fun messing with you” said Pierce. Cassy glared. “Alright I’ll stop.”

“So, what are you doing on this stage?” I asked.

“I was just checking it out” said Pierce. “Which reminds me…” Piece looked up and called out “HEY ANDY! HOW YOU DOING UP THERE?!”

“FINE!” shouted Andy. “THERE SEEMS TO BE A PLATFORM UP HERE!”

“GREAT! KEEP ME UPDATED!” shouted Pierce.

“Are you sure it’s safe for him up there?” I asked.

“I’M FINE!” screamed Andy. “HEIGHTS DON’T BOTHER ME ACTUALLY!”

“Besides, if he falls, I’m here to catch him” said Pierce. “ISN’T THAT RIGHT?!”

“CORRECT!” said Andy.

“ANDY, WHAT KIND OF PLATFORM IS IT?!” asked Cassy. I looked at her. “I mean, as long as he’s up there.”

“UM…IT LOOKS LIKE IT CAN BE LOWERED!” said Andy. “IT’S PROBABLY USED FOR PERFORMANCES!”

“GREAT! THANKS FOR THE INFO!” shouted Cassy.

“NO PROBLEM!” shouted Andy.

“Pierce, did you notice anything else?” I asked.

“Nah” said Pierce. “By all accounts, this is a fairly normal stage. The lights seem to be in a weird place though.”

“Yeah, sorry about that” I said. “Say, where is Duke, by the way?”

“Oh, he went backstage” said Pierce.

“Maybe he found something there” said Cassy. “C'mon” she said, grabbing my hand and dragging me.

We headed back stage. It was a narrow hallway, filled with some props and costumes. There were two dressing rooms. “Which one do you think Duke is in?” I asked.

“I don’t know” said Cassy.

Duke walked out of the men’s dressing room. “You guys need me?” he asked.

Cassy and I looked at each other. “Duke, did you see anything interesting in there?” I asked.

“Eh, not really” said Duke. “Just a bunch of old scripts and stuff.”

“So, why were you in there?” asked Cassy.

“It’s the closest bathroom” said Duke. “What are you getting at?”

“So you don’t mind if we investigate?” I said.

“Go ahead” said Duke.

“Should we divide and conquer?” I asked Cassy.

“I take the girl’s room, you take the boy’s?” said Cassy

“Yup” I said. We broke off and investigated. I went into the boy’s dressing room and it is as Duke said it was. I walked back out and said “It looks like Duke was telling the truth” I said.

“Yup. Same here” said Cassy.

“Look, just because I insisted that Maria was killed in the art room, doesn’t mean I was lying” said Duke. “I didn’t know the trick to it.”

Both Cassy and I were stunned. “We were more worried about you penchant for peeping” I told him.

“What?” said Duke. “Where did you get that from?”

“From you trying to get into the girl’s bathroom” said Cassy.

“I told you, I was investigating” said Duke. “How was I supposed to know that someone was in there?”

“The point is you don’t go in” said Cassy.

“Yeah, it looks really bad that you did that” I said.

Duke was taken aback. He then hung his head in shame. “I guess you’re right” said Duke.

“Well, it will help if you apologise” said Cassy. “How about at dinner?”

“That sound good” said Duke.

The three of us walked back out together. Just as we were getting out we heard Troy scream “THAT’S IT! I GOT IT!”

“Got what?” asked Jay, who was recuperating from the sudden shout.

“Meet me at dinner, good sir” said Troy .”I shall have all the details for you all then. Until then, I bid you all adieu.” Troy ran off.

“I wonder what that’s about?” I asked.

“It looks like dinner is going to be eventful” said Cassy.

“Yeah” I said.

We kept looking around, but didn’t find much. Soon it was time for dinner, and we went off to join everyone else for this eventful evening.

Later, at dinner.

“A play?!” I said.

“Yes, good sir” said Troy. “I think this will be a great idea.”

“And what is this for?” asked Pierce.

“Why it is to help Justin find his talent, good sir” said Troy. Everyone looked at him confused.

“Um…How?” I asked.

“It’s simple, good sir” said Troy. “We put on a mystery play, and before we reveal whodunit, we shall give you the chance to answer!”

“And this will help?” I asked.

“Yes” said Troy. “At least, I think it will, good sir. It should test your aptitude for solving a case, like you did with the…unfortunate incident that happened recently. Worst case scenario: we just figure out your thoughts from it.”

“I guess it’s worth a shot” I said. “It’s better than someone getting killed.”

“I couldn’t agree more, good sir!” said Troy.

“Do you have a script?” asked Cassy.

“Actually, good madam, I was going to ask you about that” said Troy.

“Me?” said Cassy.

“Yes. I was wondering if we could borrow from a case you have solved to use as a script” said Troy. “I was stacking my brain for the best script, but I couldn’t come up with something. When you entered, it hit me. This way, not only can we guarantee that Justin doesn’t know about it, but it will be more real, which may help Justin more.”

“I guess so…” said Cassy.

“I think it sounds fun” said Pierce.

“I think you should help him” I said. “You did say you wanted to break out of your shell more. Besides, I don’t know how much more investigating we can do until we figure out Kuma.O.S.”

“What?” asked Troy.

“Oh yeah” I said. “Tammy!”

“Yeah?” asked Tammy.

“When we were in the library today, we noticed that there was a computer lab. I was wondering if you cod help us figure out the schematics of the weird programing that Monokuma installed. It could help us find a way out” I said.

“Oh. Sure!” said Tammy, delightfully. “Although it might take a while.Do you know how hard it was getting the blueprints for the prison computers? Like a month. And that was in a stress-free environment.”

“So, it’s going to take a while then” I said.

“Yeah” said Tammy. “But I can start figuring out stuff tomorrow.”

“Cool” I said.

Rachel looked at Sophie and said “Hey, I heard you had a run-in with Monokuma today. You alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine” said Sophie.

“Good. I don’t want that plush bastard doing anything to you” said Rachel.

“I know you worry,” said Sophie, “but I think you need to look out for yourself a bit more.”

“I’m fine” said Rachel.

“That’s exactly what I said, and we both know I don’t fully mean it” said Sophie. “Luckily Justin got him all flustered, so I’m not as worried.”

“Well, that’s good” said Rachel.

“I’m serious though” said Sophie. “I’ll be fine. Maybe you need to start taking care of me less, and taking care of yourself more.”

“…I’ll think about it” said Rachel.

“Good” said Sophie.

Duke was nervously looking at May. “What do you want?” May asked. “You’ve been nervous since we got here.”

“It’s just that…I want to apologize…” said Duke. “About yesterday.”

“Oh. Yeah, that was weird” said May.

“But I was trying to investigate, but I know it’s wrong…” said Duke.

“You know what you can do?” said May. “Maybe just stay away for a little bit. I mean, except in instances where Monokuma summons us all under the threat of death.”

“OK” said Duke. “So, how long do you figure?”

“I dunno” said May. “But I will tell you when it’s over.”

“Cool” said Duke. He picked up his things and moved next to me. “Well, that could have gone better” he told me.

“Could have gone worse” I said, trying to cheer him up.

“Yeah. I guess it could have” said Duke.

After we finished, everyone went to relax. It was kind of a big day. As I was about to leave, Cassy stopped me and said “Hey.”

“Hey. What’s Up?” I asked.

“So, was your mom the only statue you worked on, or…?”

“Oh. OH! Right. Uh, no actually” I said.

“Could I see what else you made?”

“Sure.” I walked her into the back room of the art room and showered her the top shelf. Up there was little statues of Maria and Roman.

“Oh. Cool.”

“You like them?”

“I like the thought behind them” Cassy said. “But your craft could use a little work.

“Yeah, I know” I said.

“You gonna finish your mom’s?”

“I think I’ll do that tomorrow. Today was a long day. I’m tired enough.”

“Fair…I think I’ll head back to my room and try to think of a case that Troy can adapt.”

“Hey, do you think Troy could do a good job?”

“Well, I think he has a flair for the dramatic. He’s also very upfront about being trusting. So I think he won’t ruin it too much.”

“Too much?” I asked.

“Well, you kinda have to fudge a few details in adapting the truth. It makes things more interesting.”

“Gotcha” I told her.

“Well, later” she said, leaving the art room.

I decided to reflect on the statues and the people they were inspired by.

_Maria. Full of kindness and understanding right up to the very end. Always looking out for everyone. Roman, Andy, all of us. She was like our mom in a way. She had no place in this Hell. Hopefully she’s thriving in Heaven._

_Roman. Always trying to impress. He was afraid to be left behind, and that fear drove him to make his decisions. Of course I don’t agree with what he did, but I understand it. If it wasn’t for all this intense pressure, I’m sure he’d be doing good for himself._

I left the art room and the night time announcement came on. After it finished, I was going to head to my room, but then I remembered something. “I wonder what’s new in the MonoMono Machine.” I walked over and gave it a spin.  Put some coins in and got a few things. The first notable thing I got a jumbo pack of marshmallows. “Weird” I said. “But I guess they’ll be useful for something.”

The other notable thing I got was an acoustic guitar. “OK, how does this even fit in here?”

“Oh, I know this” said Monokuma, popping up. “OK, let’s get into character. Short. Apathetic. Really believes in this stuff. Ahem. It’s MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGIC!”

“Right…” I said. ‘Hey so, as long as I have you here, you willing to be honest with me?”

“Depends” said Monokuma.

“How long until we’ve figured out everything?”

“Oh, I know this one too. OK. Short. Depressed. Athletic. Ahem. You’ve still got a ways to go.”

“Right. Well good night” I told him, as I walked back to my room. I went into bed and fell asleep, thinking about all of the weird stuff that happened today. What does it mean? And what will our future hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a long delay. Sorry about that. A lot has happened recently, and this was always going to be a long chapter. So it would make sense that it would take a while to craft. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. It is going to get interesting when I drop the motive.


	14. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 2: Talk is Cheap, Death is Free (Part 2)

I woke up the next morning, still confused. “I just hope that everything will work out alright” I told myself. I walked down and I had breakfast with everyone.

“Oh, Cassy, good madame” said Troy. Cassy looked up. “At what time should I come to your room to discuss which case we shall make into a play?”

“Oh” said Cassy. “I was thinking we could, you know, do that in your room…”

Troy looked embarrassed. “Oh… Well, in that case, good madame, allow me to clean up my room first.”

“Oh…” said Cassy. “Well, you don’t need to go through all that trouble then.”

“No, it’s my fault, good madame. I never should have invited myself into a lady’s room.”

“Oh…” said Cassy.

 _This is getting weird._  “Why don’t you meet in the library or something?” I said.

“Good idea! Good sir” said Troy.

“Yes, it is good” said Cassy.

 _I swear, if these two keep interacting, it will be the death of me._  “OK” I said. “Do you have a case in mind already?” I asked.

“Yes” said Cassy, directly for the first time today.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Fool! It is not for you to know yet, good sir” said Troy.

“Oh…right…” I said. Tammy looked at me weird. “What?”

“Nothing” said Tammy. “I’m just thinking about how to get around Kuma.O.S.”

“You’ve looked at it?” I asked.

“Last night” said Tammy. “I took a quick glance. Based on the outset, it seems really complicated. I don’t know when I could crack it.”

“Um, Tammy,” said Andy, “is this something you’re going to be working on constantly then?”

“Hell No!” said Tammy. Everyone was shocked. “Sorry. It’s just that…the last time I worked tirelessly was attempting to get dad out of prison. After which I got accepted into Hope’s Peak. Between those two events, I passed out for like three days straight. I don’t think that kind of dedication is going to be helpful in getting out of here.”

“Oh. I see. That’s understandable” said Andy.

“Plus, it helps me think better” said Tammy. “Thinking back on it now, there were at least 10 better ways to solve that problem. Sleepless Tammy is an idiot.”

“Man, I wish I could have you dedication for rest” said Pierce. “I’m practically the living embodiment of ‘I’ll sleep when I die.’”

“I used to be like that. Maybe you should stay up for days on end” said Tammy. “That’s what helped me.”

“Well…maybe something a little less drastic” said Pierce.

“Suit yourself” said Tammy.

We finished breakfast. I stayed behind to do dishes. Duke came in to the kitchen. “Here to keep me company?” I asked.

“Not really” said Duke. “Mainly I’m trying to keep my distance from May at the moment.”

“Gotcha” I said. “Do you like May?”

“What do you mean? Of course I do! I like everyone here” said Duke.

“I mean, do you LIKE like May?” I clarified.

“…Oh” said Duke. “I haven’t thought about that.”

“I think you do” I said. “I have an eye for these things.”

Duke looked at me funny. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA” he broke down laughing. “Good one.”

“No, I’m serious”” I told him. “Listen, how else would I know that Troy and Cassy like each other?”

Duke only began to laugh harder. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!” He eventually fell to the floor. “Listen, leave the chemistry to the experts. You’re talented, no doubt, but this is clearly one place you’re lacking.” I was annoyed. “Oh man, it’s moments like this that make me miss hanging out with my friends. We used to do all sorts of stuff together.”

“Like what? I asked.

“Well, one thing we did was we used to was go camping” said Duke. “We used to just sit out under the stars. Staring at them. Talk about nothing. Eat smores.”

 _Smores huh?_  “Well, I managed to score a bag of marshmallows from the Monomono Machine” I told Duke. “If you want, we could do something like that later.”

Duke thought about it. “OF COURSE!” he said. “We can have a guy’s night here! In the cafeteria! It’s perfect! I’ll tell everyone. Don’t worry about a thing! Except the marshmallows, I guess.”

“Cool…see you tonight then?” I said.

“You bet!” said Duke, rushing off.

I finished the dishes and headed out myself. I went upstairs to the library to see what was happening there. In the library, I found Tammy and Monobird talking.

“So, do you know anything about Kuma.O.S.?” Tammy asked.

“Only that my cage is controlled by it” said Monobird.

“So, that’s one more layer of complication” said Tammy.

“Hey guys” I said.

“AH!” said Tammy. “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Hello Justin” said Monobird. “We were just discussing the Kuma.O.S. system that Monokuma was using to keep us in here.”

“Right” I said. “So, what do you know so far?”

“Well, like I said, it will take a while” said Tammy. “There are many…how do I explain this…basically tripwires.”

“Tripwires?” I asked.

“Yeah. So, here’s what I mean” said Tammy. “Basically, to get access to something you’re not supposed to have access to, you need to find a way to get around. Say you want to sneak into a building. The front entrance is being guarded by guards. So logically, you would want to find a way other than the front. The problem is that they’ve also thought of this and have installed tripwires to alert the guards to when you are trying to get into the building another way.”

“I get what you mean” I told her.

“So, the thing with Kuma.O.S. is that there are trip wires everywhere” said Tammy. “What’s worse is that, unlike a real life tripwire, when looking through a way to get access on a computer program there are ways of telling what the tripwires will do. Usually, this just means locking your computer, or in some extreme cases reporting your IP address to the police.”

_Well, she did try to break her dad out of prison._

“But after tracing some of the tripwires of Kuma.O.S., I have learned that they do much worse things when activated.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Like leak poison gas into the school. Or fire the guns automatically” said Tammy.

“Gotcha” I said.

Monobird chimed in “Yes, well, as we know Monokuma is a rather cruel host. It would only make sense that these kinds of traps would be set.”

“However, it is not impossible to get around these tripwires of sorts” said Tammy. “However, creating something that can will take a lot of time. And…”

“And what?” I asked.

“…And I’m afraid” said Tammy. “I mean, I can do this, but how many more people will die before I get it done? I COULD crunch, but even making the smallest mistake can end up with all of us dead. I just don’t know what to do.”

I placed my hands on Tammy’s shoulders and said “Just do it at your own pace.”

“But I don’t want anyone else to die” said Tammy.

“I know” I said. “But being stressed out isn’t going to help” I said. “Just focus on what you can do. Even saving one life will be a miracle in this situation.”

“…OK” said Tammy.

“I say, you have a very good grasp on what to do here” said Monobird. “I do have to wonder how you are so good at navigating these dire straits.”

“Well Troy and Cassy are in the computer lab trying to figure out” said Tammy.

“They’re in the computer lab?” I asked.

“Yeah, they’re working on a script together” said Tammy.

“It figures” I said wistfully.

Tammy gave me a look and said “I know what you’re thinking, and you’re completely wrong.”

“What? What do you mean?” I said, innocently.

“Look, the reason Troy and Cassy were acting like that wasn’t because they like each other” said Tammy. “It’s because they’re both socially awkward people trying to solve a problem!”

“Yeah, but that’s just the beginning of it” I said.

“It really isn’t” said Tammy.

“You sure about that?’ I asked.

“Trust me. If there’s someone Cassy likes, it’s not Troy” said Tammy.

“Ahem” said Monobird. “Speaking as someone who has experience in this field, I agree with Tammy on this.”

“Wait, you have experience with this?” I asked.

“Of course” said Monobird. “I’m married and I have a child. I’m also expecting a second child soon.”

“Oh, congratulations!” said Tammy.

“Yes, well, thank you” said Monobird. “Anyway, yes, Troy’s and Cassy’s awkwardness with each other isn’t the romantic variety like Miss Sparks says.”

Troy walked out of the room with some pages in his hand. “We have a script, good sirs and madam!” he shouted.

“Yes, it has been completed” said Cassy.

I looked at Tammy and Monobird. “No” said Tammy.

“No what?” asked Cassy.

“Justin has this notion that you two are lovebirds in the making” said Monokbird. “So to speak.”

Cassy was embarrassed. Troy on the other hand laughed and said “How delightful, good sir.”

“You call us going out delightful?” asked Cassy.

“No, good madam. I was referring to the idea of Justin thinking we would go out” said Troy.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

“It’s just funny to me, good sir” said Troy. “It’s a fun distraction for us both.”

“Wait, us both?” I said.

“Yes, good sir” said Troy. “See, there’s someone I like already.”

“Really?” asked Tammy. “Who?”

“Well, good madam, um, she is, um, Veronica Jacobs…she went to middle school with me…she is going to Hope’s Peak this year as the, um, Ultimate Daredevil…”

“Oooooo” said Tammy.

“See, this is the kind of awkwardness form someone in love with someone” said Monobird.

“Yeah, I get it” I said.

“What’s she like?” asked Cassy.

“Well, she’s tough, but sweet, good madam” said Troy, getting more embarrassed. “She can navigate any situation like it’s nothing. Whether that be jumping over 15 cars on fire, or my jealous ways.”

“Jealous ways?” asked Tammy.

“Yes, good madam. See, I was reminded of when I accused her and one of her friends of dating because I thought I didn’t have a chance. She saw right through me though, and came over and gave me a kiss… We eventually started dating, but she went to train in the summer, so we haven’t done much. I was hoping to meet her on the first day of school, but all of this happened.”

“I see” I said. “We’ll make it out, and you can see her again, don’t worry.”

“Yes, of course, good sir” said Troy. “And hopefully with this script, we’ll be one step closer in getting out of here.”

“Speaking of” said Cassy, walking over toward Tammy. “How would you like to be in this play?”

“ME?!” asked Tammy.

“Yes, good Madam. We thought that you would play one of the characters nicely” said Troy.

“Oh, uh, well, sure” said Tammy.

“GREAT!” said Troy. “Now we just need to get a few more people.”

“Here’s your script” said Cassy.

“Great, I’ll look it over” said Tammy.

“Oh, uh, right” said Troy. “We’re going to put this on tomorrow, good madam. So there’s no need for you to memorize it, we’ll just be reading from the script.”

“We are going to do a few run throughs this afternoon to make sure everything is OK” said Cassy.

“Oh. Sure thing. I’ll be there” said Tammy.

Troy and Cassy left. Tammy followed. “So, I was wondering,” said Monobird, “did you pick up on something during Troy’s story?”

“Yeah” I said. “I picked up on one more reason we need to get out of this hellhole.”

“…Just what I’d expect from you” said Monobird.

I explored a little more. I tried hanging out with a few people, but it seems like a lot of people are being drawn into the production.

“Sorry, I can’t. I gotta practice a bit for the play” said Buck.

“I can’t. I need to get to the theater” said Sophie.

“I would, but Troy and Cassy asked me to do the sound for their production” said May.

I wound up in the cafeteria all by myself. Well, only for a little bit. “Why the long face?” said Pierce. “Lunch got ya feeling down?”

“Nah” I said. “It’s just everyone’s working on the play.”

“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?” said Pierce.

“True” I said. “But it’s more like…everyone’s doing this big thing on my behalf, and I don’t know if it will work.”

“You just gotta have hope” Pierce said. “You know, you seem to be good at dishing out advice, but you’re not so good at taking it.”

I thought about that. “Well, I’m only human” I said.

“True” said Pierce. “But it helps to see the bigger picture.”

 _That’s what I was afraid of._  “Pierce, I was lying before” I said. Pierce looked surprised. “I wasn’t worried about whether or not it will work. I think all possibilities should be tried. It’s just I’m the reason everyone else is stuck in this mess.”

“How so?” asked Pierce.

I sighed. “Well, everyone got invited because of me. Because my grandfather thought I was special. I put us in harm’s way by existing. Now Maria and Roman are dead, and Monokuma isn’t letting us out anytime soon. It’s just so frikin annoying, you know?” Pierce started laughing. “What are you laughing about?”

“I’m sorry” said Pierce. “You just remind me of someone. How do I phrase this? So one time in class, I was told the story of  this one prince from ancient times. Before they were born, their mom was taken by a rival kingdom. The king whose wife was stolen set out an expedition to save her. However, by the time he got there, the other king had already had his way with the queen and she had given birth. The two kings fought, and the queen’s husband won, taking the queen and the prince, who wasn’t his son, with him. Later, the other king was dying, and he sent his army to save his only heir, the prince from the other kingdom, so that he could inherit the throne. When the two armies fought, the prince questioned why the other army invaded. The king and queen told him what had happened and he said to himself ‘everyone’s dying because I was born.’ I was laughing because you sound just like that.”

“How does the story end?” I asked.

“Oh, right” said Pierce. “It ended with the prince going to surrender himself. However, it was a trick. He stole the other king’s crown. And since he was the legitimate heir to begin with, the army listened to him, and he merged the two kingdoms together.”

“Wow.”

“My point is, not everything’s about you. Just like the prince, you couldn’t control the circumstances that lead us to this point. However, also like the prince you can use your skills to get us out of it.”  
“I guess you’re right” I said. “But I don’t know what my skills are.”

“Well, isn’t it wonderful then that you have a bunch of friends helping you figure out what they are?”

I laughed. “Yeah.”

“Just relax. I’m sure that when you’re at your best, you can get everyone out of here without a hitch” said Pierce.

I looked at him. “Thanks.”

I decided to spend the afternoon working on the clay figure of my mom. It was more of a process than I remember it being, but I guess I was too focused on that nightmare I had to remember the excruciating labor to produce a statue. I guess that’s why I eventually fell asleep on the third one.

I heard a knock at the door. “Come in” I said.

It was Annabelle. “Uh, hi.”

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Well, I was wondering more about your statue making” she said. “Why did you start doing it? What are you making statues of? What is your technique? I need to get to the bottom of this!”

“Oh, sure” I said. “Well, like I said, I started making them after I got a nightmare and-”

“And you needed something to make you tired, yeah I know. But why did you land on making statues.”

“Oh. Well, Roman says he did it to relax. I thought I would try it to see if it worked.”

“So, you took advice from a murderer?”

“Well, I know it’s not ideal, but nothing about this situation is ideal. I don’t think Roman would have been a murderer in an ideal situation.”

“Right” she said. “I don’t ask to accuse you of anything, I ask to clarify.”

“I get ya” I said. “To be honest though, the whole situation with Roman was fresh in my mind. I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t.”

“I see.” she said. “So, what do you make statues of. I know about your mom, but is there anyone else?”

“Well, yeah. I did a statue on Maria and a statue on Roman.”

“Can I see them?”

“Sure, they’re in the room in the back.”

Annabelle got up and went to the room in the back. She came out soon after saying “Your craftsmanship needs work, but for an amature, you’re not bad.”

“Thanks” I said. “Is that it?”

“Well…I guess that’s it for this subject, but I want to talk to you more.”

“Cool.”

“It’s just…I’m not sure what to do right now.”

“How do you mean?” I asked.

“Well…I’m a reporter, right?”

“Yes.”

“But I’m trapped here, so I have nothing to report on. So, what do I do?” Annabelle asked.

I had to think, because I wasn’t sure either. “Well, this would certainly make for an interesting story once we get out, right?”

“Yeah, but I would be the news at this point” said Annabelle. “I couldn’t report on it fairly.”

“Well…I assume it would still be helpful to take note and stuff. Just to see where we started and ended up.”

Annabelle looked at me. “You’re right. Primary sources ARE always important. And since I’m great at taking notes, and interviewing people, and taking their words to see what they mean, I can have the MOST accurate primary sources! This is great! Thanks Justin.”

“I’m just trying to help keep us all sane.”

“Well, whatever you’re doing, it’s working. This is just what I needed.”

“So, do you want to watch me work so you can take notes on it?”

“Yes please!”

I kept working on the statue. It was mostly quiet, but Annabelle and I would sometimes chat about things. Apparently, she didn’t think Cassy and Troy were a couple either. She was surprised that Troy had a girlfriend though. She also talked a bit about her days at the newspaper. It was interesting stuff.

I eventually finished the statue. “Cool” she said. “What an interesting process you have.”

“This isn’t how you’re supposed to do it?” I asked.

“Well, I mean, I have seen professional at work due to the nature of my job. But your way works for you.”

“Wait, no, how are you supposed to do it?” I asked.

Annabelle smiled and said “Now now, no need to get your panties in a bunch. You’re fine the way you are.”

“I…but…”

“HA!” she said. “Now I got YOU all flustered. Serves you right.”

“I see you haven’t lost your competitive edge yet.”

“Nope. That’s just who I am.”

“For what it’s worth, I didn’t mean to fluster you.”

“Yeah, but this is fun.”

I can’t argue that point. “Well, speaking of fun, this has been fun, wouldn’t you say.”

“Oh yeah, totally. Maybe we can do it again sometime.”

“I’m looking forward to it.

Making the statue took a while, even though it didn’t feel like it because of the time I spent with Annabelle. When I finished, it was time for dinner. During dinner, I remembered the guys night Duke was organizing tonight. I should get ready for it.

I went to my room and grabbed the marshmallows. I came back down to the dinning hall. I saw Duke setting up the place to make things more outdoorsy. “Uh, hi” I said. “I brought the marshmallows.”

“GREAT!” said Duke. “You can set them on the tale and help me with this stuff.”

I did as he said. “Um, so who’s all coming?” I asked.

“All the guys” said Duke. “I invited them.”

“Oh, cool” I said. I helped Duke finish the preparations.

“That should do it” said Duke. “Now we gotta wait for everyone.”

Buck was the first to arrive “Wow, this is fucking dope” he said.

Then Troy and Jay came “Wow, I really like what you guy did with the place” said Jay.

“Truly, this is a grand design, good sirs” said Troy.

Finally, Pierce and Andy showed up. “Sorry it took a while” said Pierce. Andy said nothing.

“Are we ready?” said Duke.

“Uh, sure…” said Pierce.

“Them let the guy’s night COMMENCE!” said Duke, as he lit a fire in the middle of the room.

“WHOA! Isn’t that dangerous?” asked Jay.

“Not really” said Duke. “I’m using a fireproof tarp around the fire, and I checked the ventilation earlier and there’s no danger of this room getting filled with smoke.”

“Oh…cool…” said Jay.

“It WILL be once we get this party rollin’” said Duke.

“I found some skewers in the kitchen” I said. “Take a marshmallow and we can start on smores.”

“SMORES! ALRIGHT!” yelled Troy. Everyone looked at him “What? I lie smores, good sirs.”

We made smores and at them. We had conversations about all kinds of different things. Our old schools, our friends, out families. Stuff like that. Even Andy opened up at some point.

By the end of it, we were all smiling from ear to ear. We were tired, but we didn’t care.

“Man, this was amazing, good sirs” said Troy.

“Yeah, thanks Duke for inviting us” said Andy.

“Thank Justin. He was the one that gave me the idea” said Duke.

“Really? Well, thanks Justin” said Andy.

“Well, Duke did a lot of the work” I said.

“Nonsense” said Duke. “Work is work, but ideas are magic.

“He is right, good sir” said Troy.

“Well, yeah, but you gotta give credit for the work” said Jay. “It’s not easy.”

“I’ll say” said Pierce.

“Let’s just thank them both” said Buck. “An idea isn’t complete without good execution.”

“Right” said Andy.

“Well, whoever was responsible, thank you. I had an excellent evening” said Jay. “However, I should be getting to bed.”

“Me too” said Buck.

“Yeah” said Andy, yawning. “I’m just about plum tuckered out.”

One by one, everyone started to leave, until it was just me, Duke, and Pierce. “Don’t you want to go to bed as well?” I asked.

“Yeah, but I can help clean up” said Pierce.

“Great!” said Duke. We cleaned up and put everything where it goes. “Thanks for helping us clean.”

“No problem. Thank you for putting on such a good guy’s night.” Pierce left.

“Justin” said Duke. “Thanks. This really made my night.”

“Right back atcha” I said. We both left for our rooms.

When I got back, I thought about everything that happened today. Tammy trying to figure out Kuma.O.S. Troy, Cassy, and everyone trying to figure my talent out. Annabelle trying to figure out her purpose here. We are all trying. I want to continue to try to break out of this prison. Hopefully no more blood will be shed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. THAT was a delay. A lot has happened and I barely had time to work on this. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this part. It's essentially the calm before the storm.
> 
> Also thanks for the comment rambrogizmo. I really appreciate it. I love seeing people react to what I've done.


	15. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 2: Talk is Cheap, Death is Free (Part 3)

I woke up to the morning announcement. I was a little more tired than usual, but I still managed to get ready. I headed to the dining area and ate breakfast with everyone.

“So, good madam,” said Troy to Cassy, “are we going to be performing straight away?”

“No, let’s do one more run-through with everyone” replied Cassy.

“Another one?” said Tammy. “But we did like five yesterday.”

“At least we don’t have to memorize lines” said Buck.

“Yeah, that’s true” said Tammy.

“Great. Now that that’s settled, let’s meet one more time in the theater to run things through. Afterwards, we’ll grab lunch and then put on the show” said Cassy.

“Yes Ma'am” said Sophie.

Everyone finished breakfast and the actors and stage crew went to the theater. Some of the people not involved went off to do their own thing. Some of the stayed in the dining area with me. “So, uh, do you think maybe you could ask May if I could see the play?” asked Duke.

“Uh, sure…?” I said, not sure of what he meant.

“You know…because she asked me not to go near her for a while” said Duke.

“Oh, right I remember now” I said. Duke looked at me. “Sorry, a lot is happening. I can’t remember everything.”

“You seemed just fine in the trial” said Rachel.

“Well, that’s different” I explained.

“Oh really?” said Pierce. “Explain how.”

“Because the trial was high stakes” I said.

“And getting out of hre isn’t?” asked Pierce.

I paused for a moment. “Well, it is…” I said, “but not everything that happens in here has to do with getting out of here.”

“I see” said Rachel. “That might be a clue.”

I turned to her. “A clue to what?” I asked.

“Your talent” she said. “We might learn something by this behavior.”

“I-I see…” I said.

“Relax, I do this all the time” said Rachel. “It’s an important tool in studying history.”

“It is?” asked Duke.

“Yes. See, history as we know it is incomplete” said Rachel. “Are your familiar with the phrase ‘history is written by the victors’?” We all nodded. “I figured you would. The fact is that those victors have a different perspective of how things are or should be that some of the documents they leave behind leave out certain details. Either on purpose or by accident. It’s our job as historians to gain as many perspectives as we can to unearth those hidden truths. To complete history.”

I sat in awe of that description. Duke, on the other hand, said “Pardon me for dissing your talent, but isn’t ‘completing history’ a fool’s errand?”

“No apologies necessary” said Rachel. “You are indeed 100% correct. There is never enough of history that we still have to fully understand it all. However, there is a lot that we can grasp from history. Getting a better understanding of it all will help present a clearer, and more accurate picture. I think that’s important.”

“I see…” said Duke. “It’s kind of like studying chemicals that we know about. We want to get the most out of anything, so we need to know what that most is.”

“You could put it like that” said Rachel. “Although personally, I think social sciences are worth looking at more.”

“Of course you would say that” said Duke. “You’ve committed yourself to one.”

“I’m sure you would say the same about chemistry as well” said Rachel.

Duke said “Not really. I just happen to be good at it. I let the chips fall where they may. Except when working with chemicals, of course. Trust me. You don’t want all those chips to fall.”

“Indeed” said Rachel. “Well, I think I’ll go ask her now. That was an amusing conversation Duke.”

“Oh, uh, thanks” said Duke, nervously. Rachel left.

“So, you have a thing for Rachel huh?” said Pierce.

I rolled my eyes and said “Pierce, come on, his thing is for-”

“Shut up, Pierce” said Duke.

“Wait, PIERCE is right?” I asked.

“Well…” said Duke. “Kind of. I mean, she’s always peaked my curiosity. This conversation just solidified it. But it’s just a little crush. Got it? I’m not head over heels for her.”

“Yet” said Pierce.

“Well, I got to get to know her a bit more, you know?” said Duke. “I gotta make sure she’s not the oil to my water.”

“What makes you think she’d the be oil in that metaphor?” I asked. Pierce laughed.

“I don’t get it” said Duke.

“Wll, let’s just say that, like oil, sometimes you can be crude” said Pierce.

“Oh. I see” said Duke. “You guys don’t think I’m THAT bad, right?”

“Well, you are the only one here who has a restraining order against them” I said.

“And I am holding to it” said Duke.

“He does have a point” said Pierce.

“I don’t know if I should trust you either, Pierce” I said.

‘Hey, come on, who helped you get the trial back on track?” Pierce asked.

“Yeah, after saying you did it” I said.

“Fair” said Pierce. “But, ‘all’s well that ends well’, right?”

“I’m with Justin on this” said Duke. “I’ve been suspicious of you since the beginning.”

“Join the club” said Pierce.

“Look, it’s not that I think you’re the Ultimate Killer,” said Duke, “it’s just you are an odd individual. It seems like you can read situations like I can read chemicals.”

“I mean, he can” I said. “Pierce told me about this when Monokuma first showed up.”

“Really?” said Duke.

“Yup, it’s true” said Pierce.

“Why?” asked Duke.

“Pierce told me it was because he hate to see weapons used for an immoral purpose” I said. “So he needs to be on alert to see who might try to fire a gun in a crowded mall or something to try and stop them.”

Duke looked at us, almost like he didn’t believe either of us. “I see” he said. “Well, I guess that makes sense. Also, for some reason I’m thinking about cereal right now.”

“Ummmmm, OK?” I said.

“Look, the point is, don’t tell anyone else about my thing with Rachel” said Duke.

“We won’t” said Pierce.

“You can count on us” I said.

“Great” said Duke.

“What are you guys talking about?” asked Rachel, who came back in the room.

“Ah! Oh, uh, we were just talking about, um, Pierce’s moral character” said Duke.

“I see” said Rachel. “Well, he is a bit suspicious.”

“Man, does everyone hate me?” asked Pierce.

“We don’t hate you” said Rachel. “It’s just I think there’s more to you than you’re letting on.”

“That might be true” said Pierce. “But isn’t it the same for us all?”

“You seem…different” said Rachel. “Though I can’t place it.”

“Well hey, if this play works, maybe Justin might be able to place it” said Duke.

“Right, the play” said Rachel. “May said you can see it. She also said that depending on how you behave, she’ll let the restraining order thing go.”

“Sweet” said Duke. “I need to go to my room to psych myself up. I’ll see you there too, right?”

“Indeed” said Rachel. “”I find this play idea very interesting, and I want to see how it turns out.”

“Great” said Duke, as he left.

“I should go too” said Rachel. “I want to check up on Sophie.”

“I should check on Andy was well” said Pierce. “Being in a play like this might make him nervous.” They both left.

“What’s this about Andy?” Monobird asked, popping out of nowhere. 

“GAH!” I shrieked. “You scared me.

“Sorry” said Monobird.

“It’s fine” I said. “Anyway, what’s this about Andy?” I asked.

“That’s my line” said Monobird.

“Right. Sorry” I said..

“Anyway, I need to find Andy” said Monobird.

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Well, it’s just that he gave me a suspect as to who the Ultimate Killer could be” said Monobird. “I just need to tell him we investigated it and that his suspect has been clear of all suspicion.”

Andy did tell me a few nights back he had an idea as to who it was. I told Monobird “Well, he’s off practicing for the play, so you can find him at the stage.”

“Great” said Monobird. “And I do look forward to this play.” Monobird followed the rails to the stage, leaving me alone again.

_I was wondering who Andy thought the Ultimate Killer could be. And when did he tell Monobird? And how did Monobird figure this out that quickly. It’s one thing to not find anything suspicious, it’s another thing to clear someone of a crime._

I picked a bad time to wonder though, because Annabelle came in and asked me “What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, Annabelle” I said, nervously. “I was just thinking about the play.”

“You’re a bad lier, you know that?” said Annabelle. “So, what ARE you thinking about?”

 _Uh-oh. I don’t think I should let her know that Andy might have thought of something. It’s not my place._  I nervously told her “I am not at liberty to discuss that at the moment. Please allow me more time to figure out the truth for myself.”

Annabelle looked at me and said “Fine, but I want something good for when I get an answer.” She went into the kitchen to fix herself some lunch. I soon followed.

Everyone else walked in for lunch not long after. Everyone not involved in the play was ecstatic for the play. Everyone involved with the play looked like they were just eating to survive.

“I didn’t think a play like this could be so labor intensive” I said.

“Well, there’s a lot to it” said Cassy. “I didn’t choose a case that was open and shut. There are moving parts to this.”

“Yeah, and it shows” said Tammy.

“Well, at least we’ll be done with it once the show is over” said Andy.

“True that” said Buck.

We sat there and finished our lunches. Everyone who was a part of the play finished quickly so that they could go get ready. One by one, everyone else finished.

“Are you excited?” asked Annabelle.

“Yeah” I said. “I wonder what kind of mystery Cassy selected for this.”

“Oh, it’s a murder” said Annabelle.

“What?! How do you know that?” I asked.

“I looked into Cassy” she said. “She primarily solves murders. Especially hard to figure out ones.”

I was stunned. “Well, maybe it won’t be a murder…” I said.

“Good luck with that” Annabelle replied.

We headed to the auditorium. May was at the soundboard preparing everything. We were al sitting down when Cassy came out to the stage. “Jay, could you hit the lights please?” she asked. We turned around and saw that Jay was working the lights for the production.  Once he hit the lights, we turned our attention back to the stage“Thank you” said Cassy. “Ahem. Today’s presentation is the true tale of the murder of a prominent businessman.”

_So it is going to be  murder story._

“So please sit back, and enjoy the tale of The Murder Matt Whitman.”

The curtains pull back as we see an office setting, with the addition of stairs and a mat underneath. Matt, played by Troy, is setting up for an auction where people would buy some of his more luxurious goods and he would donate the money to charity. During the course of the set up, Matt is interrupted by various people. First, he is interrupted by a socialite named Cynthia Dellsman, played by Tammy. She has a problem with the seating arrangements, and Matt says he’ll fix it, but Cynthia knows Matt well enough to not trust him to do it. He gets his secretary, Katie, played by Sophie, to assist Cynthia. Katie seems concerned about something, but follows Matt’s request.

Later Matt gets interrupted by his kids, Blake and Sarah, played by Buck and Elliot,  who are wondering who is going to take over when Matt retires. Matt promises to tell them after the auction. Cynthia and Katie return from their errand and Cynthia reminds Matt that she always has her eye on him. Matt replies with a joke about how he likes it, and gets slapped in the face. Katie, seeing a chance to talk to her boss, asks about the charity. Matt promises that he will give all the money he can. Katie smiles and says “Thank you.”

The guests start to arrive and Matt greets them all. There are no visible guests, but I guess that’s what happens when you only have 14 people to choose from, and one of them is barred from knowing what is going on. Matt then turns to Katie and asks her how he looks. Katie tells him he looks good and that he is helping  lot of people. Matt remarks how he also has a lot of enemies as well. With that, Matt announces the beginning of the auction.

Some time passes and the auction is coming to a close. Matt walks up the stairs to the platform on the top. He congratulates everyone for a successful auction, and gives a toast; thus ending the auction. However, when glasses are raised, a blackout occurs. We then here a thunk and then a thud. When the lights come back on, Matt is now on the mat, having fallen on to it after getting hit in the head with a wrench. Matt Whitman is dead.

Cassy walks out and announces “This concludes the first act. There will be a 15 minute break. There are refreshments outside in the hall for your pleasure.”

All of us watching the play met out in the hallway. “So, do you have any idea who it was?” Pierce asked.

“Yeah, you got anything?” asked Duke.

“Well, no, but I don’t think a lot of people would” I said, downing some punch.

“How long did it take you to figure out who did it in the trial?” asked Rachel.

“Well, that took a bit” I said. “I had a few suspects, but I didn’t know for sure. I needed to whittle down the suspect list.”

“Well, it helps that there’s only three suspects in this case?” said Duke.

I looked at him confused. “What are you talking about? There’s four” I told him.

“What? Where were they?” asked Duke. “I didn’t see them.”

“Well,” I said, “ there’s Cynthia, the kids, and Katie. That’s four” I informed him.

“Pft. Katie isn’t a suspect” said Duke. “I just left her out because I know she didn’t do it.”

“I’m not so sure” I said. “We can’t rule her out just yet.”

“Indeed” said Pierce.

Rachel looked at Annabelle and said “You’ve been awfully quiet. Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Well, I just know the outcome…” she said timidly. “So I don’t want to say anything in fear of ruining the experiment.”

“That’s fair” said Pierce.

“I’m assuming you did a write up of it?” I asked.

“Yes…” said Annabelle.

“Good to know” said Pierce.

We entered the auditorium for the second act. It begins with a detective named Mark, played by Andy, surveying the are, while his subordinate, Tony, played by Troy now that his character  from act one is dead, wheels off Matt. Mark and Tony talk about locking down the place and talking with everyone. Just as Tony and Mark agree, Cassy, played by Cassy, show up and asks to help investigate. Mark asks how she found out. Cassy says that someone from the party called her mom, and asked for Cassy because she has some expertise in this field.  Cassy and Mark have some back and forth, Cassy is let on and they begin investigating.

First they talk with Cynthia, because everyone knows that Matt and Cynthia don’t see eye to eye on everything he does. Cynthia acknowledges this, but insists she didn’t do it. They then talk with Katie and the the kids. They suspect the kids because whoever was to be named the successor would just fast-track to the top. They point out that they didn’t know who it was. Sarah points out that Matt knew, and maybe his will is in his office. The team searches the office. They find the will, and it states that Sarah is to inherit the business. Mark thinks he should arrest Sarah, but Cassy stops him because why would she point us in this direction if she was going to be the suspect. Tony then finds something new: a stash of drugs. Apparently, Matt was an addict, and would use his money to buy drugs.

They ask Katie about this, and she says she has no idea about this, but if they want, they can look at the books for anything. They investigate and Cassy notices something is off. She was at some of these parties, and remembers the amounts donated were higher than what is listed in the book. Mark says that this would be a big break, but this isn’t the crime they are investigating. Cassy says that this could be important.

They then investigate the stairs and balcony Matt was on when he was killed. They find some blood splatter where Matt landed, but not where he was hit. Then Tony gets a call saying that there were no fingerprints on the wrench. Cassy, who was investigating the stairs finds a string. Cassy believes that this is the key to solving the case, and summons everyone.

Cassy outlines the crime and shows off what she has found. “Based on this, there can only be one culprit” she says. She then looks at me and asks “Do you know who it is?’  
I was shocked for a moment. I was taken in by this performance that it took me a second to answer. “Well, I have a guess…” I said.

“What is is?” asked Cassy. “Get up here.”

I walk up to the stage and say “Well, if I am right, the only person it could have been is Katie.” I point at Kaite.

“Wha-but that makes no sense” she protests. “For starters, I am wearing heels. You would hear them click on the stairs.”

“That would be true, if you were WEARING THEM at the time of death” I object. “However, you took you shoes off so that you wouldn’t make any noise. However, you left behind this black string from your equally black stockings.”

Katie continued “A lot of people were wearing black stockings.”

“True, but how many know how to work the lighting system for the building. Plus, you had the motive.”

“Motive? What motive?” Katie asked.

“You knew your boss was cooking the books to fund his drug habit” I said. As his secretary, there was no way you wouldn’t know. You were upset by that fact. Especially when you told us that Matt told you ‘I will donate everything I can.’ You knew then he would continue to spend some of his money on his drug habit and that’s when you decided to kill him.”

“Smart thinking” said Mark. “However, aside from that string, we have no evidence to go off of.”

“I was just going to get to that” I told him. “I think that if we were to search her desk, we would find a cloth of some type. This was used to hold the murder weapon and clean up whatever blood on on her and the area on the platform up there.”

“On it” said Tony. He searches and pulls it out saying “found it.”

Katie breaks down into tears and apologises. “I just couldn’t let him. That money was for children. Promise me that all the money here goes to those charities?”

Cassy leans down and says “I don’t know about this money specifically, but I promise another fundraiser will happen and we will donate all of that money.”

“Sniff, you mean it?” said Katie.

“Yes” said Cassy.

“Money’s the companies” said Mark. “They can donate it if they want to. We don’t need it.”

“But sir-” said Tony.

“Look, I’ll deal with it, OK?” said Mark.

Sarah jumped in and said “Well, I guess we should still donate this money. It is the right thing to do after all.”

“And who knows?” I said “Maybe someone else will be inspired by the company’s generosity and come and take your place.” Everyone looked confused. “What?”

“How did you know that?” asked Cassy.

“Wait, that was accurate?” asked Andy, breaking character.

“Well, yes, but-” said Cassy.

“So you LIED to us, good madam?” said Troy, also breaking character.

“I WASN’T FINISHED!” shouted Cassy.

“Ow” called out May.

“Sorry” said Cassy. “That IS accurate. Katie was helped by a charity Matt donated to. And she did join the company to help with that. However, that was only found out during the trial…”

“What is it?” asked Sophie.

“I just thought of something” said Cassy. “What if Justin is the Ultimate Lawyer?”

“What?!” said Buck.

“Think about it. Justin is good at figuring out things based on evidence. He helped us during the first trial. In fact, his performance in this trial is what lead us to doing the play in the first play.

“You are correct, good madam” said Troy.

“I just saying, Justin could be the Ultimate Lawyer” said Cassy

We heard a slow clap coming from the audience. We turned and looked and saw that it was Monokuma. He clapped faster and faster and stood up. After he was done he said “Bravo. That truly was a performance.”

“I liked it” said Duke.

“Of course you would, you have no taste” said Monokuma. “But you did manage to find out Justin’s hidden talent, so I guess you did what you set out to do.”

I said “Wait, that means-”

“YUP! You re the Ultimate Lawyer” said Monokuma. “Not like it’s going to help you much at THIS point.”

“How do you know?” I asked. “For all I know, you could be lying.”

“THAT is something you have to figure out on your own” said Monokuma. “But hey, at least you figured this out. Now you know more about what’s going on. Who knows, you might figure out everything. Too bad everyone else here will be dead.”

“Fool” said Troy. “We are just this much closer to escaping. Do not think that we won’t find a way out with no one else dying. Because we will.”

“Well, if your interested in leaving, I have some news for you” said Monokuma.

_I don’t like where this is going._

“Everyone please be seated somewhere in this auditorium” said Monokuma. We got ourselves situated in seat as Monokuma took center stage. “Ahem, after some careful study, I realized something. You guys don’t like my killing game.”

“No shit!” Buck shouted.

“So, I’m offering a way out of it” said Monokuma. All of us were confused. “What’s the matter? I thought you would be cheering. Do you not want to leave? Well, whatever. Anyway, please take out your Monopads.” We all did. “The profile of a fellow student  is being sent to your Monopad. If you kill that person, and ONLY that person, you are free to go. No investigation. No trial. No execution. Nothing. This motive only goes until someone kills someone that wasn’t the person that I sent them. Have fun!” Monokuma disappeared.

An aura of fear hovered over the auditorium. A chance to escape with no trial? Would that be enough to convince someone to kill someone else? I looked at my Monopad. I gulped. The person I have been tasked with killing…is Pierce.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Also, Motive Drop time. This chapter was fun to write, and I'm so glad I finally got to the motive of this chapter. Things are going to get interesting. I'm going to let you in on my writing style a bit. So, I generally know specific beats, like the motive, the people involved in the murder, and sort of how it was done, but everything else is just off the cuff. This makes it really fun to write at times, especially since I can use something that I just came up with for later. What those are in this chapter...I'm not saying. Why ruin the surprise?


	16. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 2: Talk is Cheap, Death is Free (Part 4)

It was surreal. Monokuma gave everyone an out. All we had to do was kill someone here. I knew we were all thinking the same thing.

“Who would do this?” asked Tammy.

“Um, I think we should move this to the dinning area” said Andy.

“Agreed” said Cassy. “Just, let everyone who was performing change.”

“Right. Of course” said Jay.

Everyone got changed into their usual clothes. “Alright. Let’s go” said Cassy. We made our way to the dining area. “Alright, let’s discuss what happened.”

“Well, we were just offered a way out” said Pierce.

“Right, but it’s not a way anyone would accept, right?” said Cassy.

“Um, well, if you recall, Pierce and Troy agreed to sacrifice themselves last time…” said Andy. “So, um, if we let their assassins take them out, then maybe someone could get out.”

“And then what?!” asked Cassy. “What could they do once they get out?!”

“Well, he actually has a point” said Duke. “If someone gets out, it might be helpful to getting everyone else out.”

“That makes sense” Elliot chimed in.

“HOW?!” shouted Cassy. “We don’t know a lot about this. What could we do on the outside?!”

“Well, if someone knows what they’re doing, they could figure out a way out from the outside” said Rachel.

“Great, so only someone who can figure things out can leave” said May.

“You’re forgetting the other problem! That being the person who gets out has to KILL SOMEONE!” screamed Cassy. “As I remember, Troy and Pierce agreed to die by THEIR OWN HAND! Murder is different.”

“Um, are you OK?” asked Tammy. “You seem…how do I put this?”

“Triggered” said Pierce.

“Yeah, I guess…” said Tammy.

“Well why wouldn’t I be?” asked Cassy. “My parents were murdered. I solve a lot of murders. A murder happened JUST RECENTLY, UNDER MY NOSE! I will not let it happen.”

“OK, breathe” said Pierce. “Just relax. Nobody is suggesting any of us murder anyone. We just have it as a possibility. I think we’re all a little frazzled at the moment. Maybe we should discuss this tomorrow.”

“Well, before that, should we say who we have?” asked Buck.

“NO!” said Sophie. Everyone looked at her. “I mean, uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Well, good madam, I disagree” said Troy. “It gets rid of the mystery, therefore we can be much more prepared.”

“I’m not so sure” I said. Everyone looked at me. “Well, knowing who our targets are would change how this motive would play out, I don’t know how much good it will do. The whole point of the motive is to kill someone, and only that person. Meaning that self-defence is not an option. Furthermore, if we see someone trying to kill someone, we might be more hesitant to interfere because what if we accidentally kill the assailant. Then the trials start up again and no one can get out.”

“You bring up a lot of good points” said Buck. “Maybe we shouldn’t tell each other who we have.”

“I’m not saying that” I said. “And I’m not saying that we can’t use this to our advantage. We just need a plan. And Pierce is right. We can’t come up with a good plan if we are all riled up by what just happened. We need to sleep on this and think about what to do. Are you OK with that Cassy?”

Cassy looked at me, unsure. “…fine, I guess.”

“Then it is settled. At least for now” I said. “I’m going to go to bed then. Goodnight.”

Everyone responded “Goodnight.” I left.

As I was walking to my room and getting into my bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about this strange motive.

_We could escape. We can be free. All we have to do is kill someone. Thinking about it more, nothing has really changed. We could escape, but you would have to kill someone. The difference is there would be no trial. Is that enough to get someone here to kill? No trial means no execution if the killer gets caught, or no mass killing if the killer wasn’t._

_And why did I get Pierce? How could I kill Pierce? I mean, the dude is weird, but I wouldn’t kill anyone for that. I wonder who has me. Could they kill me? Is it random who got who? Probably._

I fell asleep thinking thoughts like that. I had hoped that sleeping on it would make me less nervous. It didn’t. I woke up still as anxious as ever. I got out and went to the dinning hall to see everyone else there. From the looks of things, they weren’t any less anxious either. “So I took it no one slept well” I said.

“THAT is an understatement, good sir” said Troy.

“I feel so FUCKING USELESS!” shouted Buck.

“Figures” I said.

“Well…” Tammy spoke up. “Before I went to bed last night,  I did a little bit more hacking into the Kuma.O.S. and I found something useful, but disheartening.”

“What is it?” asked Cassy.

Tammy looked up nervously. “So, the cameras here have heat sensors.”

“What does that mean?” asked Jay.

“It means we can’t fake a death” said Cassy. “That’s what you were thinking, wasn’t it?”

“Well, I was just thinking,” Tammy started, “if I can make it seem like my target was dead, I can get out without killing anyone. But I guess he thought of that.”

“Wouldn’t you have to coordinate that with your ‘victim,’ good madam?” asked Troy.

“I could think around it” said Tammy. “It’s just another part of the puzzle I’d have to solve.”

“So, the odds still look grim” said Andy.

“When have the odds NOT looked grim?” asked May.

“Point taken” said Andy.

“Look, we can figure all of this out” said Pierce. “Let’s just not do anything rash, OK?” We all nodded. “Good. Now we just need to figure out who, if any of us, are able to figure out how to solve this problem from the outside.”

“Well, technically speaking,” said Annabelle, “it could be multiple people. Monokuma said that the motive only stops when someone kills someone who is not their target. So, if organized properly, two or more people could escape.”

“That is an interesting point” said Pierce. “However, it is a bit extreme. We don’t want seven people to die just so the other seven would escape.”

“That is true” said Annabelle.

“Plus, keeping a few people in here would be key to catching the Ultimate Killer” I said.

“Oh?” said Pierce. “How do you figure?”

I began to explain “It’s because this is his game. As much as we are being forced to play it, he is forced to keep tabs on it. If everyone leaves, he can just junk everything and we’d lose whatever tracks we had.”

“Fair point” said Pierce.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” shouted Cassy. “Nobody is killing ANYBODY here! GOT IT?!”

“Look, as much as you hope this wouldn’t be the case, it is worth discussing” said Pierce.

“No, it isn’t” said Cassy. “What is worth discussing is how to stop the Ultimate Killer. We shouldn’t be playing into his hands.”

“But we would be stopping him” said Annabelle. “Or at least attempting too.”

“I’m with Cassy, this doesn’t vibe well” said May.

“Yeah, I’m not so sure about this either” said Andy.

“Come on guys, this could be the closest ANYONE gets to catching the Ultimate Killer” said Jay.

“Well, aside from my master, who figured out who he was, but died by his hand, good sir” said Troy.

“Yes, aside from him” said Jay.

“GOD, WHY ISN’T THERE A CHEMICAL LAB IN THIS SCHOOL?!” shouted Duke.

We all looked at him “Duke. What was that about?” I asked.

“Well, I guess I’ll tell you, since I can’t do it” said Duke. “I was thinkinging about Tammy’s whole fake a death plan, and I figured that with the right chemicals I can make it so that my victim could be in a death-like state that would even fool the heat sensors on the camera. Then I could make my escape and then my victim could wake up.”

“And what makes you think that you would be good on the outside?” asked Annabelle.

“What are you talking about? I can be of use. Are you calling me useless?” asked Duke.

“No, it’s just that I have notes on everything that has happened so far.” said Annabelle. “If I could get these to the police, they could be very useful for that investigation.”

“If you don’t sell them to your paper first” said Duke.

“HEY! This story is bigger than just getting a good scoop!” shouted Annabelle. “Two people are DEAD! Do you think I would prioritize my job over that?!”

“Well, when you put it like that…” said Duke.

“Look, we just need to work on our secret plans in secret” said Annabelle.

“NO! No secret plans” I yelled. “If we are doing this, we are doing this as a unit. Right Cassy?” I looked at where she was and she was gone. “Where’s Cassy?”

“She left” said Sophie. “She was upset about this whole thing, and frankly I don’t blame her.”

Everyone looked at me. “What? I asked.

“Aren’t you going to try and cheer her up? Like you always do?” asked Rachel.

“Why does it always have to be me?” I asked.

“Because she trusts you the most” said Sophie.

“Yeah, she seems really slow to trust people” said Pierce. “But she trusts you. And you’d be letting her down if you didn’t fight to regain that trust.”

“Fine” I said.

“Are you mad about her trusting you?” asked Duke. “If someone that pretty trusted me, I would be fighting tooth and nail to keep it.”

“You don’t have to worry about that” said May.

“No, it’s not that” I said. “I just don’t want people to get the wrong idea is all.” I left to try and calm down Cassy.

I made my way to her room and knocked. “Cassy. It’s me” I said.

“Go away!” she shouted.

“Look, I know you’re mad,” I said, “but-”

“But NOTHING! Go away” she continued.

I stood there for a moment. “Do you actually want to be alone right now?” I asked.

Cassy was silent for another moment. “No. I just don’t want to talk to someone who thinks killing is an option” she replied.

“I can get someone,” I said, “but like it or not, it is an option. It always has been.”

“What do you mean?” she said, softer.

“Ever since Monokuma showed up killing was always an option” I said. “It’s just now thing are heightened. And it’s not a GOOD option. No one is saying that it IS a good option.” I put my back against her door and slid down it. “But there aren’t a lot of good options. So it’s important for people like you to voice your opinions and find the good options.”

Cassy opened the door. I stood up to meet her. “I just HATE that people are even considering it, you know?” she said.

“I hate it too” I said. “It feels like he’s in our heads. But it’s an option at the moment, and we should discuss it.”

Cassy looked upset. “But we discussed it last time too” she said. “We had a plan. And someone STILL died.”

“Yeah” I said, disenchanted. “It’s still important to talk about it. If we want to stop the Ultimate Killer, we can’t sit around and do nothing when the opportunity presents itself. Tammy went out and searched for helpful information.”

“Yeah, but she found something that just confirmed our worst fears” said Cassy.

“The point is she tried” I said. “And as scary as that seems, we all have to keep trying

Cassy sniffed. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. GOD why do I keep getting so worked up like this?”

“How do you keep your cool during regular investigations?” I asked.

“Oh, I cry afterwards. HARD.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t tell anyone.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Good. That said, I’m not ready to talk about this. I want to go back to investigating other possibilities.”

“You know what. You don’t have to. I’ll investigate on that front for as long as I can. I’ll report to you, and tag you in if need be.”

“That sounds like a plan” she said.

“A plan that won’t result in someone dying, I might add.”

“Haha, yeah. Well, seeya” she said closing her door.

I stop the door from closing all the way. “Whoa whoa whoa, what’s this?” I asked.

“I DO want to be alone right now” she said.

“Gotch” I said. “Well, seeya then.” She closed the door. I left. I had some other things to do.

I walked downstairs and saw Elliot in the hall. “Elliot!” I called out.

“Oh, hey Justin! So, how was your meeting with Cassy?” she said suggestively.

“It went well” I said, not playing into her game.

“Good” said Elliot. She sighed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Well, I try to have fun when I’m with people, but it’s hard to do so under these circumstances.”

“Yeah, I get ya” I said.

Elliot sighed again. “You know, maybe I just need to work some of this out you know? Do you know of a good way to do that?”

 _Something that allows people to work out their emotions. Ah! That’s it!_ “Well, I have this acoustic guitar. They say that music can help with expressing emotions.”

“Ooooooooo! Cool” said Elliot. “You  know, I can actually play really well. In fact, I think I’ll put on a concert in the auditorium. Later tonight. Be there sailor” she said in her usual, flirty tone before running off.

“I think she has some of her cheer back already” I said.

I had something I have been meaning to do anyway. I looked around the school and found Andy again in the art room. “Andy, could I talk to you for a second?” I asked

“GAH!” shrieked Andy. “Oh, it’s just you. WAIT! How do I know you don’t have me are are trying to kill me?”

“I don’t have you” I said.

“That’s what what you WANT me to think” he said.

 _Well, this motive isn’t good for his paranoia._  “Andy, just listen to me. I have something I need to talk to you about.”

“What? How you’re going to kill me?” he said, defensively

“Relax, he doesn’t have your name” said Monobird, coming up behind me.

“Really?” said Andy.

“Yes” said Monobird. “I am sure of it.”

“Well…OK. What do you want?” Andy asked.

“I want to know who you thought the Ultimate Killer is” I said. I turned to Monobird and told him “and I also want to know what makes you think that the person Andy suggested is cleared from suspicion.”

“Very well” said Monobird. “Andy, you go first.”

“Ummmmm, OK, I guess” said Andy.  “Oh boy, this is going to hard. OK. So, I told you that is was someone I was close with.”

“Yeah” I said.

“Well, that person…” said Andy, “is my brother. Mark.”

“Mark huh?” I said. “It’s funny, because you played someone named Mark as well.”

Andy looked at his feet and said “They are one in the same.”

“WHAT?!” I yelled.

“Not so loud” said Andy. “But yeah…”

“What made you think that?” I asked.

“Well, I thought he was jealous of not getting into Hope’s Peak when I did” he said.

“Wait, Monokuma said that the Ultimate Killer went to Hope’s Peak” I said.

“Yeah, but should we really trust him?” Andy said. “I mean, he is locking us in here and forcing us to kill each other. Why should we trust him? It could all be an act. Besides, he still has access to everything he needed to to pull all of this off.”

Monobird chimed in “He is right. We often go to Hope’s Peak when something happens.”

“Wait, you KNOW him?” I asked.

“Of course” said Monobird. “We work together.”

“Are…Are you Tony?” I asked.

“What? No. From the play? NO!” said Monobird. “He’s not qualified enough to be in my position….Well I’m right!”

“Who was that for?” I asked.

“Sorry. That WAS Tony” said Monobird.

“Ah. So, now that I know who the suspect was, what made you clear him on all suspicions?” I asked.

“Well, that was complicated” said Monobird. “Andy told me night night of Miss Albright’s murder.”

_That would explain why he was down there._

“Since he was close, we took him in for interrogation. We decided to keep him there because we thought if the Ultimate Killer was going to start killing your parents we would know either way. Either they died and he wasn’t the Ultimate Killer, or they didn’t and he was. However, as you know, before that happened the incident occurred, so we couldn’t figure out if our suspicion is correct.”

“You also couldn’t say anything during the Class Trial about when the murder occured” I said.

“Correct” said Monobird. “We even got a note from the Ultimate Killer saying someone had died in the school.”

“Was that was tipped you off?”

“Well, it certainly helped his case, but Monokuma could also have done that” said Monobird. “What really changed our minds was when the Ultimate Killer sent us a list of times places and witnesses tho show that Mark couldn’t have done any of the previous killings. So we a to let him go.”

“Interesting” I said. “Still, why did the Ultimate Killer exonerate Mark at all? Wouldn’t it have been easier to let someone else take the blame.”

“That is a good point” said Monobird. “I think we would have figured it out eventually. He can’t be in a holding cell and keeping tabs on the situation as well.”

“Plus I think the Ultimate Killer just likes toying with my brother” said Andy.

“Well, whatever the case, I do appreciate the fact that Mark was cleared” said Monobird. “Well, I should see what everyone else is doing.” Monobird left.

“Look,” said Andy, “I know you eventually need to share this information with Cassy. But please don’t tell whoever has my name. Or Pierce’s name for that matter.”

I stared at Andy for a moment and sighed.  _He opened up so much here. I should do the same for him._  “You don’t have to worry about me telling the person who has Pierce.” I help up my Monopad. “He already knows.”

Andy looked at it turned pale and fainted. He came to a few minutes later. “Ugh” he said.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“Yeah” he said. “I just didn’t think that you had Pierce is all.”

“Well you gotta remember,” I said, “we got these names by force. We didn’t control who got who. But this also doesn’t change who we are.”

“Yeah…” said Andy. “This just sucks is all.”

“Wanna go back to what you were working on?” I asked.

“Sure” said Andy, returning to his desk.

“What are you working on?” I asked.

Andy picked up his pencil and began sketching “Another drawing” said Andy. “Maria taught me a lot the night she died. I want to keep it up. For her sake and for my own.”

“Gotcha” I said.

I just hung around school until it was time for lunch. During lunch I received a note from someone. I looked around to see if anyone was watching and then I opened it. It read “Secret Name Reveal Party this afternoon in the library. Be there by 2pm or find out who has who some other way. Sincerely, Annabelle.” I quickly stuffed the note in my pocket.

I finished lunch and spent some time hanging around school. When it got to 1:50 I headed to the library. I was very cautious and made sure I wasn’t being followed. I arrived in the library but I didn’t see anyone.

“Psst” said Annabelle from behind a bookshelf. I followed her there and arrived at the party. I was greeted by Annabelle, Troy, Jay, Buck, Elliot, and May. Annabelle looked at her watch and said “Well, it’s 2 pm. I guess this is it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that the motive was give, we got to see how everyone reacts to it. I broke it up in the middle of the day here because I have a lot more of the day I want to get in, but I don't want it to get too long per part I upload. Oh yeah, Happy New Year everyone!


	17. Danganronpa: Away Chapter 2: Talk is Cheep, Death is Free (Part 5)

It was Annabelle, Troy, Jay, Buck, May, Elliot, and myself. “Alright, let’s get this started” said Buck. “I have Cassy.”

Well that was quick. “Well, I’m glad she’s not here” I said.

“Oh, I didn’t invite her” said Annabelle. “And way to get the ball rolling, Buck. To follow your lead I have you.”

“WOAH! Seriously?!” yelled Buck. “That’s fucking cool!”

“Not the reaction I would have expected” said May.

“Are you kidding?” said Buck. “Out of everyone, Monokuma trusted her to kill me. I think that’s hardcore.”

“Well, if we’re going to keep the chain going , I have you Annabelle” said Elliot.

“Oh my” said Annabelle.

“Wait, hold up, you didn’t invite Cassy?” I asked.

“Huh? Oh yeah, I didn’t invite some people” said Annabelle.

“Who didn’t you invite?” I asked.

Annabelle thought for a moment. “Well there was Cassy, as stated, there was Sophie, who was nervous about this motive the whole time we’ve been talking about it, and I also didn’t invite Andy because he is just nervous all the time.”

“OK, so Duke, Tammy, Rachel and Pierce just didn’t show” I said.  _I should probably look into that._

“So, who here has my name?” asked Elliot. “Is it yoooouuuu, Justin?”

“What, no” I said. “I have Pierce.”

Everyone there went “Ooooooooooohhhhhhh.”

“What was that about?” I asked.

“It’s just, I’d be afraid to take on Pierce” said Annabelle.

“Same” said Elliot.

“I agree, good sir” said Troy.

_Wha-really?_

“Yeah, I don’t know if I’d want to take him on” said Jay.

_Even Jay?!_  “Look, there’s not going to be a problem” I said. “Because I’m not going to kill him.” Everyone had a similar revelation and chatted among themselves. “Let’s just keep this going. We’ll figure out what we do afterwards. Now, does anyone here have me?” Everyone was confused. “I guess not.”

“We should continue anyway” said May. “I have Rachel.”

“I have Andy” said Jay.

“And I have Sophie, good sirs and madams” said Troy. “So what now?”

“Well, now that this much information is out there, we can start putting the pieces together” I said. “Annabelle, can I borrow your notepad?”

“Anytime” said Annabelle.

She gave me her notepad and I began forming the chain. “Alright, here’s what we know so far” I said. “ Elliot has Annabelle, who has Buck, who has Cassy. We also know I have Pierce, May has Rachel, Jay has Andy, and Troy has Sophie.”

“What does this tell us?” asked Jay.

“Well, it does seem like the assignments were random” I said. “Also, with this sample size, we can confirm that Monokuma isn’t making everyone else attack one target.”

“That was a possibility?” asked Buck.

“Well, it wouldn’t be out of the question” I said. “If we want to use this motive, and that is a huge IF, this brings us one step closer to figuring out who should kill who and escape to help.”

“How’s that?” asked Elliot.

“Well, with this information, we can make a plan” I said. “And we can do it knowing what we know. A secret plan is no good, and has a high chance of screwing up. Like Roman’s secret plan.”

“Gotcha” said Elliot.

“What should we do to figure out the rest of the list?” asked Annabelle.

“That’s a good question. I don’t know” I said. “We could just ask everyone who didn’t show up, but we would need to tread lightly. Cassy’s reaction to this whole situation is sensible. People are scared.”

“Well, why don’t you handle asking everyone, good sir?” asked Troy. “After all, you know how to get people to talk.”

“Hey, I can do that too” said Annabelle.

“This is true, good madam” said Troy. “However, some people may find you a bit…overwhelming.”

“Says the man who carries a sword with him” said Annabelle.

“Which is also why I didn’t suggest myself to take this mission on, good madam” said Troy.

“I don’t know, all of this on me?” I asked. “It can be tough.”

“Well, we will help in any way we can” said Elliot.

“Well, if you wouldn’t mind making an attempt to get some information from the others, I’d like that” I said.

“Consider it done” said Elliot.

“Maybe we should make copies” said Annabelle. “In case we get some information and fill in the blanks.”

“Good idea, good madam” said Troy. We headed towards the copier.

While we were waiting for all of the copies I asked “By the way May, you seemed nervous about this whole thing as well. What made you decide to come here?”

“Oh, um, well” said May. “I was just hoping to find out who has me. But they didn’t show up.”

“Well, at least you know who doesn’t have you” I said. “So if you stick with one of us you’d be safe.”

“Hmmmm” said May.

We finished making copies. “Alright, now that we know what to do, we’re ths much closer to beating Monokuma.

“YEAH!” everyone shouted. We all dispersed.

I decided to head to Cassy’s room and share with her what I know and see if she’s made any progress. I knocked on her door. “Hey, it’s me” I said.

Cassy opened the door. “What do you want?” Cassy then looked behind me. Her eyes widened. “Wha-What is she doing here?” she shrieked, pointing behind me.

I turned around and saw May. “Wha-MAY?! When did you get here?” I asked.

“Well, you said I should stick with someone who doesn’t have my name so I didn’t get killed” said May.

“That’s actually not a bad idea” said Cassy.

“Yeah, but why me?” I asked.

“I dunno” said May. “I guess I just trust you.”

“OK then…” I said, embarrassed.

“So, did you get back from your ‘share who your target is’ meeting?” asked Cassy.

I was even more flustered. “Well, yes, but how did you-”

“I’m a detective” said Cassy. “I suss out this kind of information all the time. Also, I was sitting next to Buck, and he isn’t that good at hiding things.”

“I see” I said.

“So, why are we here?” asked May.

“Well, I was planning on doing some information exchange with Cassy and maybe figure out a few things.”

“You can still do that” said May. “I don’t mind. I think this kind of stuff is cool.”

“It’s fine” said Cassy. “Three heads are better than two. Now, let’s-”

“Um, should we really be doing this in the hall?” asked May. “I mean, I understand wanting some privacy, but I think we would be more private in you room, don’t you think?”

Cassy thought bout it. “Very well. Come in.”

“Thanks” said May. We walked into Cassy’s room. “Wow, this is so cool.”

“We need to focus” said Cassy. “I’ve been thinking that maybe we need to figure out who else here is good at computer stuff.”

“Why’s that?” asked May.

“Well, if we are going to…you know…accept Monokuma’s proposition, we should have a better idea on how to find him. Clues have to exist in Kuma.O.S.”

“Well duh” said May. “Oh, I’m sorry, was that out of line?”

“Not at all. Keep going” said Cassy.

“Great” said May. “So, I know some things about computers and stuff. Whenever I DJ at an event, I always have some level of authentication so that some random jerkward doesn’t take control.”

“Is that a problem?” I asked.

“More than you can imagine” said May. “Exes trying to win back former lovers counts for at least 20% of that.”

“Yikes” I said.

“I know” said May. “Anyway, because the Ultimate Killer has to use Kuma.O.S. to keep us locked in here, watch over us, and orchestrate this whole thing, he needs to have access to it. However, he would want to prevent people from accessing it, in case they found it. So it should have information that is relevant only to him. What that information is however, I can’t say.”

“It’s OK” said Cassy. “That was very helpful.”

“I think I have an idea” I said. “We should search for known Ultimate Killer attacks. Maybe something in there will help unlock the secrets of Kuma.O.S.”

“Where’d you get that idea?” asked Cassy.

“Well, it’s sort of complicated” I said. “So, Andy had a guess as to who the Ultimate Killer was. Monobird and some other police officers held the suspect and questioned them. However, the Ultimate Killer sent a list of his killings, and times, places, and witnesses of Andy’s suspect. If we could get that list, we might have a chance of finding who the Ultimate Killer is.”

“So, we need to find more computer expert and talk to Monobird. Got it” said Cassy. “So, what did you find out on your end?”

“Oh, yeah” I said. I took out my list. “This is what we know. Do you want to see?”

Cassy was nervous, but then took the list and then said “Sure.” She looked it over for a few minute and then said “Well, you can make the chain a bit longer now. I have Jay.”

“OK” I said, taking my list back and adding the new information to it.

Cassy said, “if we’re going to do this, we need to figure out not only who has the best chance of surviving outside, but also who has the best chance of killing someone. And that is IF we go along with this. If we find another way out, I will insist upon that route.”

“Of course” said May. “You know I feel much safer already.”

“Great. Well, I should head out now” I said.

“You do that” said May.

“Um, what about you?” I asked.

“Don’t worry about me” said May. “I want to spend some girl time with Cassy. Erm, if that’s alright that is.”

Cassy thought about it. “Well, I do need a break” she said.

“Great!” said May, hugging Cassy. “Seeya later then.”

“OK, um, seeya” I said, leaving the room.  _I sure hope they get along alright._

I knew what I had to do next, even if I was nervous about it. I walked to Pierce’s room and knocked. He walked out of his room. “Yeah” he answered.

I had to tread lightly. I didn’t know what to expect. “Um, Pierce” I said. “Could you kill me if you wanted to?” I asked.

Pierce looked at me weird. “I didn’t get your name, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I know”  said. “Could you still do it?”

Pierce looked at me. He then started laughing. “Man, you got me?” he said. “Talk about a lucky break.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

“It’s just that, out of all of us, I think you’re the least likely to kill someone” said Pierce.

“Were you worried about who had you?” I asked. “Is that why you didn’t come to the meeting?”

“Kind of” said Pierce. “I was more worried about what would happen if I showed up. I can make people feel uneasy sometimes.”

_Boy is that the truth._

“Also, I wanted to take a nap. So, what made you think to come tell me now?” asked Pierce.

“Well, I told Andy already, and since you two seem joined at the hip. So, I thought it was only a matter of time before you found out. I just wanted to own up to it myself.”

“Woah, how did he take it?” asked Pierce.

“Well, he fainted,” I said, “but when he got back up, I think he understood.”

“How mature of him” said Pierce. “I’m surprised he didn’t freak out harder.”

“Maybe because it’s me?” I said. “I don’t know, I’ve been hearing that a lot.”

“You wouldn’t be hearing it if it wasn’t true” said Pierce. “You’ve got this calming aura, even in this horrific situation.”

“Um, aura?”

“Oh yeah, Andy’s been teaching me how to read auras. I figured it would be helpful.”

“How did you read things before? You seemed really effective at it already.”

“Well, it never hurts to improve” said Pierce. “As for how I did it before, I guess you could describe it as a sense. I could react immediately when I sensed something was off. However, I couldn’t tell if something was off before things got really bad. Hence this situation. I sensed something at the welcoming party, but I couldn’t do anything. I’ve gotten by well enough without that before, but I couldn’t do anything here.”

“You’re starting to sound like that prince you told me about” I said.

Pierce looked at me quizzically and then laughed. “I guess you’re right.” Pierce laughed some more. “It’s been a while since I’ve laughed like this. As a thank you, I will tell you something I was meaning to tell you anyway. You should check on Cassy periodically. At least until this motive runs its course.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I’ve been reading her aura” said Pierce. “She’s been feeling uneasy.”

“Of course she is, anyone can see that” I said.

“I wasn’t finished” said Pierce. “You know how I said you’re the least likely to try anything? Well, she’s the second least likely. However, your circumstances are different.”

“How?”

“Well, to me at least, she seems to be resisting super hard not to let her emotions get the better of her. You, you don’t have to try. You seem to naturally resist.”

“Um, thanks?”

“I’m not sure what that means either,” said Pierce, “I’m just saying what I’m seeing. Look, you said that you don’t want people to get the wrong idea about you and Cassy. Well, maybe you need to start thinking about it as the right idea, you know?”

“What, me and Cassy?” I said embarrassed.

“I spied on your conversation this morning. You can’t tell me that wasn’t the stumblings of two awkward lovers.”

“I can, and I will.”

“Heh, whatever. Just think about it.”

“Whatever.” I started to walk away, but then I remembered. “Oh yeah, who do you have?” I asked.

“Thought you’d never ask. I got May” Pierce said.

_Maybe it’s better that he didn’t come to the meeting._  “OK. I’ll mark that down.” I took out the list and updated it. “Anyway, seeya.”

“Don’t be a stranger” Pierce replied.

I walked away.  _How could he say something like that? Me and Cassy? As if. Whatever._  I spent some time hanging out, and then I had dinner. After dinner I thought “Right, Elliot’s concert. I wonder if she got anyone else to show up?” I walked to the auditorium.

I saw Elliot in the doorway “Oh, Justin, hi” she said. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

“I wouldn’t miss it” I said. “So, is anyone else coming?”

“Well, I did ask people” said Elliot. “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to greet them like I did with you.”

“Why not?” I asked.

May came out of the auditorium and said “OK Elliot, everything’s read, time for a sound test.”

Elliot looked at me and said ”That’s why. Well, I’ll see you when everything’s ready.” She walked in and May closed the door behind her, leaving me out in the hall.

I waited for a few minutes before anyone else showed up. “Oh, it’s Justin” called out Sophie. She ran forward. “So, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, well, I’m here to see Elliot’s concert” I told her. “I was the person who gave her the idea in the first place.”

“Of course it was” said Rachel, walking up to meet us.

“Hey, don’t be like that” said Sophie. “This will be fun.”

“I’m not too keen on Elliot’s penchant for…let’s say ‘lewd’ behavior” said Rachel.

“I know,” said Sophie, “but I’m sure this will be good regardless of that.”

“Indeed, good madam” said Troy, who just showed up without a sound. “I think this will be a marvelous performance. Although, I have a few…” Troy’s face turned beet red, “issues of my own with the way Elliot conducts herself. HOWEVER, she is welcome to express herself how she likes. I just have to deal with my own impurities.”

I heard another pair of footsteps coming down the hall. I turned to see that it was Andy. “Andy?” I said. “What are you doing by yourself?”

“Well, um, Pierce said he wanted to come, but he said he was busy. So, he asked me to come and film it. Um, if that’s alright” Andy told me.

“Well, we could check” I said. “I knocked on the door.

May came out and said “Perfect timing, we’re ready to go” she said.

“Um, Andy was wondering if he could film it” I said.

May looked at Andy, who had a video camera with him. “Fine” she said. “Do you have a tripod for that thing?”

“Um, no” said Andy.

“Well, I’ll see if we have one that fits. Come on in” May said. Andy followed May, and the read of us went in soon after. “Hey Justin, can you hit the lights?” May shouted.

“Sure” I said. I stationed myself at the lightbox and waited for my cue.

May managed to find a tripod for Andy’s camera and Andy went to sit down. “OK, ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for a night of musical entertainment, provided by Elliot Fairville” announced May.

I took that as my cue to light the stage, and take my seat. Elliot was sitting on a stool, looking solemnly with the guitar I gave her in her hands. The spotlight on her accented that. She started playing and it was beautiful. It wasn’t frantic or showy. Rather, it was calm, but emotional.

“Wow” said Troy.

“I must say, I’m impressed” said Rachel.

“*sniff Yeah” said Sophie.

Despite these interruptions, Elliot kept playing these beautiful, moving songs. One by one we all started to cry, just a little bit. The songs weren’t entirely sad. They just hit us in all the right places. After Elliot did a more upbeat song she concluded her set. She stood up and said “Thank you for coming, I hope you all enjoyed the show.” She walked off stage.

I sat there for a moment, but then I realized that I had to fix the lights. So I did. Soon after, Elliot was off the stage and down here with the rest of us.

“Wow” said Sophie. “That was such an amazing performance.”

“Indeed, good madam. It truly was amazing” said Troy.

“I must admit, I had low expectations coming in here,” said Rachel, “but you would have blown me away if I had high expectations.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that” said May. “That was a whole nother level.”

“Oh, you’re too kind” said Elliot. “I was just playing how I was feeling. Really, it’s Justin who you should be thanking. Without him, none of this would have happened.”

“Oh, no” I said. “I may have given you the guitar, but what you did with it was pure magic.”

“Aw, thank you” said Elliot. She the looked at Andy. “Um, are you OK? You look sad.”

“It’s just, it was so moving” said Andy. “I just…I just…WAAAHHHHHHHH!” Andy started bawling.

Elliot gave him a hug and said “It’s OK little guy. You have every right to feel like that.” Everyone else joined in the hug. Andy stopped cry hard and we all broke apart. “Elliot put her hand on his shoulder and said “Feeling better now?’

“Yeah” said Andy. “Um, can I get my camera?”

“Oh, sure thing” said May. She then rushed to grab the camera. “Here” she said, giving it to him.

“Thanks” Andy said, taking it back.

“So, how did you learn to play like that?” asked May.

“Well, I was walking by my local music store when I saw a flyer for a guitar contest where they were giving out free CDs to the winner. I desperately wanted those CDs and entered the contest. There was a lot of really good competition, but in the end I won anyway” said Elliot. “I thought it was fun and decided to keep it up. While I don’t think I’m as good as I was when I am competing, it’s nice to hear you guys say how well I did. It makes me glad I kept it up.”

_How good is she when she is competing?_

“This really cheered me up” said Elliot. “A good emotional release can do wonders for you.”

“You were feeling down?” asked Sophie.

“Well, yeah” said Elliot. “I just needed to vent. But then it turned into this, and…guys, this was magical.”

“I know, right?!” I said.

“Thank you” said Elliot. She then walked off.

“I guess even she has a soft side to her” said Rachel.

“You two are more alike than you think” said Sophie.

Rachel blushed and said “Shut up.” Sophie giggled. They both left.

“Wow. I’m still in shock” said May. “I should go ask Elliot if she’d be willing to record songs that I can use for different events.” May ran off.

“I should go too” said Andy. “I’m feeling tired.” Andy left.

Troy was thinking. “Um, Troy?” I asked.

“GAH!” he said. “Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought.”

“What were you thinking about? I asked.

“Well, good sir, I was thinking about what Elliot said about self improvement. It reinvigorated my need for improvement as well. You don’t become the best Parkour Artist and just give up. You have to keep improving.”

“Well, if you want to keep your title, then I guess so.”

“Fool! I can’t possibly keep my title” said Troy. “I want to improve to see others improve and try and beat me. My master was a great Parkour Artist, but he knew he had to give his title to me at some point. However, he kept pushing me to do better. He didn’t want to pass the title to someone who would just give up at the first sign of trouble.”

“I getcha Troy” I said.

“Great! Have a good night, good sir” said Troy. Troy decided to backflip his way down the hall.

I spent the rest of the evening hanging out. When the night time announcement aired I decided to go to bed. So much has happened recently, but I feel like we’re this much closer to getting out. However, I fear we are also this much closer to falling into Monokuma’s trap. We are playing with fire, and it feels like the more we play with it, the more we’ll be burned. We just have to focus and keep going strong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter, but we're getting this much closer to the main event. The eleventh hour is upon us for this chapter. I had some time recently to do this, so I decided to take that opportunity. Also, I got to finish the special events for this chapter, and that makes me proud.


	18. Danganronpa: Away Chapter : Talk is Cheap, Death is Free (Part 6)

I woke up to the morning announcement. I was sort of used to it at this point. I got my clothes on, as usual. Despite how normal this all seemed, I felt something was different. It felt like we were on the cusp of something great. We were getting information left and right, and today that continues. I felt THIS much closer to leaving this place for good.

I got a knock on the door. I went to open it. “Ah, good sir, you’re awake” said Troy, on the other side.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Well, Jay and I would like to race again, good sir” said Troy. I saw Jay behind him.

“Yeah, We figured we’d try again” said Jay.

“So, what do I have to do with it?” I asked again.

“Well, good sir,” said Troy, “we are planning on going even more all out than before. We don’t want anyone in harm’s way. So, we were wondering if you could move somewhere outside the path of the race.”

“I see” I said. I walked out, and I moved passed the stairs , and inside the girl’s hall. I was surprised to see Annabelle and Tammy there as well. “Huh?”

“I want to see this” said Tammy.

“As do I” said Annabelle.

“How did you even know what was taking place?” I asked.

“I saw them preparing for it” said Annabelle. “They were out in the hall earlier, looking over things. I saw Tammy coming out of her room and I told her what was going on, and she wanted to watch as well.”

“3…2…” said Troy and Jay in unison.

“Well, here we go” I said, preparing to watch.

The two continued “1…GO!” and, assuming they started from the very back, they got to the end of the boy’s hall in less than two seconds. Jay turned to hit the stairs, but Troy was a bit more daring this time as he jumped over the guard rail. I could see Jay’s concern, but that only riled him up more. Jay looked at the stairs, adjusted himself slightly, and sped up.

Meanwhile, Troy was still in the air. He then drew his sword, and then struck it against the wall between the gym and the dining area and started to slide down, making a slightly slower decent. Meanwhile, Jay was at the stairs, and instead of avoiding the railing, he used his tough body to bounce of the rails. He ran into the left side at the top, bumped into the right side at the turn, and then the left near enough to the bottom to take off again without hitting the other railing. He then sped up enough to almost catch up to Troy before he sheathed his sword and hit the ground. Troy then started to run, but it looked like Jay caught up

At the final turn, they looked neck and neck, they went into the dining area. I didn’t hear anything, so I assume Jay didn’t crash this time. “Well, come on, let’s see what happened” I said to Annabelle, and Tammy.

“Right” They said.

We got there, and already Troy and Jay were arguing, while everyone else watched. “I got here first” said Jay.

“No, good sir, I DID!” yelled Troy.

“It was another tie” said Rachel

They looked at her and said “Seriously?!”

“Come on, that can’t be right” said Jay.

“Indeed, good madam,” said Troy. “One of us had to win.”

“Sorry, but that’s what happened” said Rachel.

Both of them were upset. They then saw me and shouted “JUSTIN!”

“You were watching, right?” said Jay. “You must have seen who won.”

“So, who was it good sir?” Troy inquired.

“Well… I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to agree with Rachel” I told them.

“WHAT?!” they both shouted.

“See, my judgment never lies” said Rachel.

“You know, if you want proof, I did record the whole thing” said Annabelle.

“WHAT?!” I said, along with Troy and Jay, turning to meet her.

“I bought a video camera at the store” said Annabelle. “I find it easier for interviews, and I’ve been missing it.”

“Very well then, we shall see who REALLY won” said Jay.

“Truly, good sir, we shall” said Troy.

“Maybe we can all watch” said Tammy. “It was a thrilling race after all.”

“Yeah, maybe we should do that” I said. “We could make an event of it. Like, dinner and a movie. Except, it’s a really short movie.”

“Is there anywhere in this building we could watch this movie?” asked Sophie.

“Of course” said Monokuma appearing.

“GAH!” we screamed. We all stepped back in horror.

I regained my composure and said “I was wondering when you would show up.” Everyone looked at me.

“Well, wonder no more, because now I’m here” said Monokuma.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I’m glad you asked” said Monokuma. “So, you know how I have cameras everywhere to watch you wall?”

“Probably the least creepy thing about you” said Buck.

“HEY!” said Monokuma. “I’m at least a cuddly kind of creepy. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. Well, I saw your secret ‘let’s tell everyone who we have to kill’ meeting yesterday, and I wanted to weigh in.”

“Let me guess, you want us to stop?” I said.

“Well, I made a lot of considerations to any approach I would make” said Monokuma. “In the end, I decided that it doesn’t matter.”

“Huh?” I said.

“Yeah. So, here’s my thinking” said Monokuma. “It doesn’t matter if you know or not. The point is you’re discussing the possibility of following through on killing someone. And that makes me one happy bear!” A sudden chill came over us. “Also, it’s laundry day. And since I haven’t opened up any laundry machines to you, I have to take your laundry sometime today. So, if all of you could be out of your rooms at various points during the day, that would be great.”

“Wait, ‘varying points’?” said Cassy.

“Well yeah” said Monokuma. “I may be super strong, but I can still only do so much laundry at a time. It just makes it easier on me.”

“And what if we don’t want to make it easier on you?” Pierce asked.

“Eh, your loss” said Monokuma. “Dot jpeg.”

“Wha?” said Elliot.

“Oh, nothing” said Monokuma. “Anyway, you COULD obstruct laundry day, but the only thing that will get you is dirty clothes and sheets. I don’t mind if you smell bad either. This is a favor I’m doing for you.”

We all looked reluctantly at Monokuma. Pierce sighed and said “Fine. Whatever.”

“GRRREAT!” said Monokuma.

“Um, no offence” said Andy, “but that’s not a bear thing to say. A tiger says that.”

“Oh. Oh is THAT how it is?” said Monokuma. “In that case, I hope you all die a GRRRIZZLY death! Is that better?”

“Um, in terms of pun, yes, in terms of tone, no” said Andy.

“Well, you can’t get everything you want” said Monokuma. “Oh right, as for where you can watch your race, the auditorium has a screen you can use. You can even eat in there if you want. Just make sure you don’t spill too much. Or do. I can clean it up. Unless you want to show me a little compassion.”

“If you don’t want to clean, fowl villain, then let us go” said Troy.

“Well, I don’t, but not that much” said Monokuma. “So I guess spill to your heart’s content if you want to do something to slightly irritate me. Just remember, your only way out of here is either in a body bag or as a killer. Either way, the results will be sweet as honey for me.”

“Um, that’s not actually much of a bear thing either” said Andy. “See, the reason bears go after bee hives is not because they like honey, which they do, but they prefer the bee larva.”

“WILL YOU SHUT IT?!” said Monokuma. “Ugh. Why can’t he enjoy anything? Oh well.” Monokuma left, dejected, but still right overall.

We all started to eat breakfast. It was quiet until Sophie said “You know, we ARE playing into his hands by discussing who we have and who should kill who.”

Everyone stopped. “I know,” I said, “it’s just, this might be the best opportunity we have to leave for a while.”

“Yeah, but at what cost?” asked Sophie. “Killing someone. Becoming a killer. I don’t think that it would be worth it.”

“Well, there goes my idea” said Andy.

Everyone was confused. “What idea?” asked Pierce.

“Well, I was thinking that Sophie could be the one to escape” said Andy. “She’s the Ultimate Good Luck after all. Maybe her good luck would follow her into finding the Ultimate Killer.”

“Wow, that is a good idea” said May.

“Yeah, well, like  said it’s probably not going to happen now” said Andy. “At least, according to Sophie’s disposition.”

“Well, I’m sure whoever Sophie has wouldn’t mind dying for that cause” said Duke.

“Yeah, well, what if I mind becoming a killer!” Sophie shouted. “Especially for some stupid plan that hinges on me being lucky!’ Sophie was then shocked at how angry she had gotten. She started tearing up. “I’m sorry” she said, saddened.

“Hey, it’s OK” said May. “I get it.”

“Indeed” said Cassy. “It is only natural to feel that way.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t even be thinking about this, if it wasn’t for that piece of shit bear” said Buck.

“Or, if you will, a literal poo bear” said Andy.

“Wow, THAT’S actually good” said Pierce.

“I HEARD THAT!’ shouted Monokuma over the intercom. “WHY DON’T YOU LAUGH AT MY BEAR PUNS?!”

“Because they’re too panda-ing?” said Elliot.

“Because you’re sense of humor is bear-en?” said Jay.

“Because you suck shit” said Buck.

“THAT’S it” said Pierce.

“GAAAHHHH!” shouted Monokuma on the intercom.

I turned back to Sophie. “The point is, this is hard on everyone. I can see that it’s a lot harder on you though, so you don’t have to do anything. Hell, WE aren’t even making a decision on what we’re going to do today. So just relax. We aren’t going to be killing anyone until we know for absolute certain that we know what we are doing, and you don’t have to be a part of it. Is that OK?”

Sophie looked down, and then looked up and said “OK.”

We finished breakfast and put our dishes away. I saw Tammy starting to leave, but I caught her, saying “Tammy!”

“Huh?” she said.

“We need to talk” I said.

“What about?” she asked.

“Well, first we need to get to Monobird” I said. “He’s important to this as well.”

“OK?” said Tammy.

“Hold it!’ said Cassy. “You didn’t think I wasn’t going to be a part of this as well, did you?”

“No, of course not” I said. We all walked to the gym to see some of our friends doing some activities and a still Monobird. We approached him and I said “Monobird?” Hey Monobird?”

“Do you think he’s not here?” asked Cassy.

“Alright, now that he’s not here to object,” said Tammy, “time to short circuit this bad boy.”

“I’m awake!” said Monbird.

“GAH!” I said.

“Aw man” said Tammy.

“Sorry” said Monobird. “I just spent all night setting up the rescue team.”

“Rescue team?” asked Cassy.

“Yeah” said Monbird. Just in case one of you takes Monokuma up on his deal. Once you get out, a team of police will be there to escort you home.”

All of us were solemn in that moment. Getting to return home. That’s something that we haven’t heard of in a while. “Well, we might be closer to that, but we’re going to need your help.”

”I’m listening” said Monobird.

“Do you remember that list that the Ultimate Killer gave you to exonerate Andy’s suspect?”

“Of course” said Monobird.

“Well, we were wonder if we could use it” said Cassy.

“What for?” asked Monobird.

“This is where you come in, Tammy” I said. “We met yesterday and we thought that maybe there might be a hidden password or program or something that can help unravel the mystery of the Ultimate Killer.”

“I get it” said Tammy. “You want me to see if I can trace anything based on that data.”

“Well, yes” said Cassy. “You and anyone willing to help.”

“I see” said Tammy. “Well, I’d be up for it.”

“As would I” said Monobird. “Unfortunately, I’m not sure how to go about sending the list to you.”

“Why not tell us?” I said. “After all, there’s no point in trying to hide this information from Monokuma because he would know what was on it.”

“Wait, so does that mean that we might not find anything?!” said Tammy.

“Well, that’s possible” said Cassy. “However, I don’t know how likely that would be. After all, the Ultimate Killer would need to hide stuff, and what better way than stuff only he knows about.”

“Besides, if Monokuma is any indication of the Ultimate Killer, we know that he like victory for him over defeat for others” I said.

The three of them stared at me. “Could you, um, explain that better?” Monobird asked.

I sighed. “OK. Basically, the vibe I’m getting from Monokuma is that he would rather give us a chance for victory than no chance at all. He’s given out information that might be detrimental to him eventually, but he would rather win when we had that information than win without us knowing that.”

“I getcha” said Cassy. “He’s obsessed with proving to everyone he’s the best. So he’s more willing to give us information just to prove we still can’t beat him with it. I’m familiar with the type.”

“Exactly” I said.

“Well, with that sorted out, shall we proceed?” asked Monobird.

“Let’s go to the library” said Cassy. “We can write down the information and maybe start working from there.”

“Good idea” said Tammy. We all made our way to the library.

On our way there I decided to ask “Hey Tammy, why didn’t you show up to the secret meeting?”

“Huh? Oh, that” said Tammy. “Truth be told, I just didn’t want to go. I’d rather plan from the shadows.”

“But that’s dangerous” I told her.

“Yeah, and what part of this isn’t?” said Tammy.

“Don’t you think that a secret plan would backfire? Like it did with Roman?” asked Cassy.

“Hey, I’m much better at thinking over complicated problems than Roman was” said Tammy. “Besides, as noble of a goal as a unified front is, when it comes to killing someone, having more people on my side just gives me more pressure. And I’m sure it’s the same with some other people.”

_Huh. I didn’t think about it like that._

“Look, I will help you find the Ultimate Killer, but helping you guys figure who to kill for the sake of the rest of us is something I don’t want to take part in” said Tammy.

“Of course” said Cassy.

_Well, I doubt that Tammy would tell us who she has at this point._  We made our way to the library. We got a notepad and Monobird gave us all the dates. “Alright, I’ll start looking into these” said Tammy.

I was nervous, but I had a request. “Um, could you look into this one first?”

“Sure, but why?” Tammy asked.

Cassy had a sly smile on her face. “Hm. It’s because that was the date of his grandpa’s murder.”

“Ah, I getcha” said Tammy. “Now, could you give me some space to work?”

Monbird inquired “Um, could I actually stay here?” he asked. “It’s just that if something comes up, I can pull up the case file in case you need some specifics.”

“Fine” said Tammy. “But you two can leave.”

Cassy and I left the computer room. “What do we do now?” Cassy asked.

I saw Rachel reading in the library. “I think I just found something. Hey Rachel.” I called out.

Rachel looked up, saw us, closed her book, and then came over to meet us. “What do you want?” she asked.

“Well, I was wondering why you didn’t come to the meeting yesterday?” I asked.

“Sophie wasn’t invited” she said, directly. “Plain and simple.”

“You must really care about her” said Cassy.

“Indeed” said Rachel. “She saved my life, you know.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that before” I said, inquisitively. “But, I don’t think you clarified the circumstances. Would you care to do so?”

Rachel looked sullen. “…Fine. Someone was threatening me with death. Sophie walked into the room and stopped them. Happy?”

_I get the feeling prying more would just be trouble._  “Yes” I said.

“Sorry about my colleague’s prying” said Cassy. “I’m sure it’s hard for you to talk about.”

“It is. Very much so” said Rachel.

“Oh. I, uh-I am sorry as well” I told her. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, you were” said Rachel. “You were just in ‘lawyer mode”.”

“‘Lawyer mode’?” I asked.

“Yes. I compare it to my ‘historian mode’” said Rachel. “Sometimes I get too wrapped up in my work that it can be hard to separate it from reality. Your inherent lawyerness did the same just then. You were trying to seek out information to understand what’s going on, and move forward with a plan.”

“Oh, well, I maybe should focus on turning this ‘lawyer mode’ off then” I said.

“Not necessarily” said Rachel. “It can be a valuable asset at times. Like, remember when Monokuma first came to the school? You were the first to ask for clarification on things pertaining to Monokuma’s game. I believe that was your ‘lawyer mode’. At the time, most of us were mad at you for it, but looking back it was the right thing to do.”

“Oh” I said.

“It’s just figuring out when you should pull it out” said Rachel. “And to be fair, you only just discovered your talent recently. So I shall be a bit more patient with you.”

“Oh. Thank you” I said.

“Anything else?” Rachel asked.

“Well, yes, actually” said Cassy. “What are you reading, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Ah, there’s ‘detective mode’” said Rachel. “Well, I am reading yearbooks.”

“Yearbooks?” I asked.

“Precisely” said Rachel. “Specifically yearbooks from this school.”

“Why?” asked Cassy.

“Based on the conversation Justin, Sophie, Tammy, and Elliot had with Monokuma, the Ultimate Killer attended this school. I was thinking I could look through yearbooks to see if I can find any evidence that could lead us to who this person really is” said Rachel.

“Smart thinking” said Cassy. “Think you can find anything?”

“I wouldn’t call myself a historian if I couldn’t” said Rachel. “Although it might take a bit. This building was used for a while.”

“That’s fair” said Cassy.

“Oh, by the way” I said. “I know you didn’t come, but could you tell us who you have?”

“…Very well” said Rachel. “It’s Duke.”

_Well, he’s not going to be happy about that._  I filled out my sheet. “Thank you” I told her.

“You’re welcome” said Rachel. “Can I get back to reading now?”

“Of course” I said.

“Thank you” said Rachel. Rachel walked back to her seat and began to read again.

“Do you think she’ll find anything?” asked Cassy.

I looked at Rachel. “I’m sure she will” I told her.

“I hope you’re right” said Cassy. “This whole situation feels like it’s going to burst any minute now.”

I remembered what Pierce said. “You should check on Cassy periodically… She’s been feeling uneasy.”

I decided to put that advice forward. “Um, do you want to talk about something?” I asked.

“No” said Cassy. “I just need to relax right now…alone.” Cassy walked off.

“Oh, uh, sure” I said, not sure if she heard me.

I walked out of the library, only to be approached by Duke. “COME ON MAN!’ he told me. “This is not how you’re supposed to deal with the person you like being upset.”

_He must have seen Cassy._  “OK, where does everyone get the idea that I like Cassy?” I said.

“So, it’s NOT just with everyone else” said Duke. “Well, whatever, go after her man!”

“Well, no. I think she needs her space” I said. “She even told me she wants to be alone. Besides, she’ll rejoin the group at some point. She’s just trying to figure her way through this.”

“All of that, and you can’t tell you like her” said Duke. “If you somehow die, could I look at your brain?”

I was concerned, but put on a brave face. “Um…sure? Well, provided I have one.”

“Whadoyamean?” asked Duke.

“Well…it’s just…you remember how Roman died. I don’t know how much of a brain he had after that statue fell on him” I told him.

“OH SHIT! I forgot about that” Duke panicked.

“You forgot about Roman?” I asked.

“Well, no… Lord knows that that will be forever etched into my mind” said Duke. “I just kind of forgot that that joke is not appropriate under these circumstances.”

“You were joking?” I said.

Duke looked at me, annoyed. “Give me some credit” he said. “I wouldn’t just start picking apart your brain just based on this. You would need to sign a consent form, it would need to be authorized by your legal guardian, it would need to be OKed by your physician, it would need to go through a ton of board meetings and stuff, it’s just too much of a hassle.”

“But if I did all of that, THEN you would dissect my brain?” I said.

“I mean, yes?” said Duke “Finding bodies to study on is an important facet of science. If you’d be willing to do all of that, anyone would take you.” I was speechless. “Oh. That’s NOT the answer you were looking for” said Duke. “Look, that joke is meant to say that I think you’re interesting, but yeah, this isn’t the best context for it.”

“OK then…” I said.

“Finding bodies to study IS an important facet of science” Duke said, defensively.

“I don’t think you’re wrong” I told him. Duke sighed. “Maybe you’re just in ‘Chemist mode.’”

“Right, that thing you, Cassy, and Rachel were talking about” said Duke. “Yeah,  guess I was.”

“Wait, you overheard our conversation?” I asked.

“Oh. RIght, I did” said Duke. “Look, it was on accident. I was walking in to see if I could look up some chemicals, when I saw you guys talking. I would have ignored it, but when a stupid bear takes away your phone with all of your music on it, it gets hard to ignore things. Like the fact that your crush might kill you…”

_He did hear that._  “Well, I’m sorry” I told him. “But a wise person once told me that not doing anything is, and I quote, ‘not how you’re supposed to deal with the person you like being upset.’”

Duke looked at me. “You think I’m wise?” he said. “Well, joke’s on you. Rachel doesn’t seem upset. Cassy does. Point for me.”

“No, the joke’s on you because I don’t like Cassy the way you like Rachel” I said, definitely.

Duke laughed. “I can’t wait to see the look on your face when you realize you do” he said. “Well, whatever. Time to look for some chemistry books.”

“Wait!” I called out. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, who did you get?”

“Oh, right, the thing” said Duke. “Look, I know you said solo plans are a bad idea, but as a scientist, I think I have a better chance at it, and doing this alone makes me feel better about doing this.”

“How so?” I asked.

“Well,” said Duke, “it makes it easier for people to hate me if I go through with it. I don’t want people feeling sorry for killing someone. If I’m going to do this, I want to feel bad about it. So I don’t want to reveal my plans right away. Especially because I don’t know if I’m going to do it, I’m just thinking at the moment.  But, since you’re cool, I will give you something. My victim is female.”

_Well, that was something else._  “I get it” I said. “And hey, thanks for thinking I’m cool.”

“Thank you for thinking I’m wise” he said, as he wandered into the library.

“I don’t think he gets it” I said to myself.

I just hung out around the school until it was almost time for the showing of the race footage. I then had an idea. I went to set everything up for that idea.

Everyone gathered in the auditorium again. “You got it?” Pierce shouted up.

“YUP!” shouted Andy, who was working on getting the projection screen down. In order to get it down, someone had to go up to the rafters of the stage to lower it. Andy volunteered since he’s been up there before. It took some doing, but he managed to get the screen down. May and Annabelle were setting up the footage, and eventually got it all ready.

Cassy walked in and asked “Are we ready for this?”

“I said “Almost. Bring it on in boys” Troy and Jay walked in with the thing I had prepared.

“What is this?” Cassy asked.

“Well, Monokuma said that this could be dinner and a show, so I decided t make dinner” I said. “Presenting, tonight’s main dish, Fettuccine Alfredo.”

“WOW” said Tammy looking at the dinner. ”Did you make this all by yourself?”

“Yes I did” I said. “I also prepared a side of breadsticks, corn, and grapes. And to drink, I grabbed some soda. Now, as Monokuma said, we are allowed to spill, and all it costs is making his life miserable. SO, while I don’t encourage spilling usually, it should be fine in this instance.”

“Joke’s on you” said Monokuma from the intercom. “I have state of the art cleaning technology. Make a mess all you want, it will be spotless by the time you wake up in the morning.”

“Well, you heard him” I told them.

Everyone grabbed a plate and sat down. I hit the lights and stayed in my position to eat. We all then watched that morning’s race between Jay and Troy to see if there was a definite victor, or if all assumptions were right, and it was another tie.

We had to watch the clip over and over again, because Troy and Jay got into an argument about it every time. “LOOK! I clearly won” said Jay.

“Rewind the tapes, good madams, because it clearly shows me winning” said Troy.

Everyone was impressed with the race. “Wow, it’s so cool how Troy did that” said Sophie.

“Let’s not forget, Jay’s technique was spectacular as well” said Elliot.

“They’re both obviously cut out to athletes” said Pierce.

“This sure kicks ass” said Buck.

However, everyone was thinking the same thing. “WELL, WHO WON?! Troy and Jay demanded.

“It was a tie” we all responded back.

Troy and Jay’s faces slumped. “It was a good effort, good sir” said Troy, reaching out his hand. “Next time?”

Jay reached back and shook Troy’s hand. “Next time there will be a definitive winner.” Everyone cheered at the prospect of this next time. We decided to stay and finish eating. We talked among ourselves about the race and how cool it was.

After we finished eating, we left our plates on the table Troy and Jay brought the food on. I decided that I will sort that out later. I then had a thought. I called out to all of the people who came to the secret meeting.

“What do you want?” asked May.

“Well, I’ve been thinking and asking people, and I was wondering something” I said to them. “Are you guys OK with killing someone to get out?”

“What brought this on?” asked Annabelle. “You wanted to plan for this.”

“I know” I said. “But after what happened with Sophie this morning, and from what I heard about from others, I don’t know if sacrificing someone is a good idea.”

“I’ll tell you this for free: it isn’t” said Buck. “But it might be the best idea we have at the moment. It’s not a matter of being OK with it.”

“Right” I said. “But some of the people I’ve talked to said that with knowing and putting all of our trust into this idea would be hard, and it would be easier if we don’t know who we are supposed to be killing. It gives us more room to feel bad.”

“Is that what you’re worried about?” asked Jay. “None of us would have come to the meeting if we wanted to be the bad guy.”

“He’s right, good sir” said Troy. “I don’t have that much of an interest in playing the role of a fowl villain. However, I will not hesitate to strike if it is for the good of the people. I like to think of myself as a cannon; powerful, but needs to be aimed by a person.”

“Yeah, if we were comfortable in the role of person who was being hated for this, we wouldn’t put our trust in each other to try and plan this” said Elliot

“…OK” I said. “I just wanted to make sure everything was OK. Or, as OK as it can be. I don’t want to make people more uncomfortable than they already are.”

“Just relax” said Jay. “We’re doing fine.”

“Thank you” I said. “I’m just worried is all.”

“And you have every right to be” said Annabelle. “However, we all came together for a reason. You can’t lose faith in that.”

“…You’re right” I said. “We just need to focus. Once we have a plan, we will set it in motion.”

“That’s the spirit” said Buck.

We broke off the meeting there and started to head out. I spotted Cassy going downstairs and I decided to follow her.  _Maybe I do have a thing for her. What am I thinking? I’d do this for anyone…right? AGH! This is because of what Pierce told me._  I saw her go to the shop and buy something.

“What are you doing?” she asked me, without turning around.

“Oh, well, I just wanted to see if you were OK” I told her.

“I’m fine” she said, turning around, coldly. “What makes you think I couldn’t handle myself.”

“…It was something that Pierce told me” I said.

“Pierce?” she said, surprised.

“Yeah” I said. “I went to ask him about the motive, and we got to talking, and he was doing his thing.”

“You mean reading people like a book, frighteningly accurately?” she asked angrily.

“Yeah, but get this” I said. “He’s now enhanced.”

“How?” she asked.

“Apparently Andy’s been teaching him how to read auras” I told her. “Basically he said that you were fighting every urge to break under the pressure and kill someone.”

“I see…he does it again” said Cassy.

“You mean he’s right?” I asked.

“Well, in a sense” said Cassy. “I really feel like I’m about to break. I can barely keep it together. But at the same time, if I were to act on it, it wouldn’t be to confront anyone. I would just lock myself in my room until it goes away.”

“Well, that isn’t healthy either” I told her.

“I know” she said. “But, like with this motive, it’s merely the best of a bad situation.”

“I see…” I said. “So, what did you get?”

“Huh?” she said, surprised.

“From the store” I elaborated.

“Oh” she sighed. “I just got a can of Diamo’s soup.”

“Wow, that stuff is fancy” I said excitedly. “If you wanted soup, I could have made it with some of the stuff we have here.”

Cassy looked at me and said “I know I don’t look like it, or act like it, but I am rich. I am used to certain amenities that I have missed since being locked up in here. This thing is the closest thing to the soup I usually eat.”

“Why soup though?” I asked.

“It’s my comfort food” she stated. “I like to have some to calm down. Being a detective can get very stressful at times.”

“I get ya” said said.

“ _…look out…_ ” said a voice in my head.

“Wha?” I said.

“ _Look outside_ ” the voice continued.

“OK…” I looked outside. I saw the officers Monobird stationed outside.

“What are you doing?” asked Cassy.

“Something told me to look outside” I informed her. “So, I’m doing that.” I then saw someone else. A man, dressed in all black. “Cassy, come look!” I shouted quietly. But when I looked back, the man was gone. “Where’d he go?”

“Who?” asked Cassy.

“The man in black” I said.

“Ugh” said Cassy.

“What?”

“It’s not you” she said. “It’s just…did you echo?”

“Um…no…?”

“I see…well, I should probably just go to sleep them. I feel like I need to rest.”

“Good night then” I told Cassy as she walked off.

I decided to report to Monobird what I saw. He told me the squad would keep a lookout for anyone suspicious. I decide to go to bed soon after. I needed to think clearly if we were going to go through with our plan and eventually  find and catch the Ultimate Killer. I can’t let anything distract me.

I woke up the next morning, as usual. I got up, got dressed, and headed out. However, when I headed out I noticed that all the doors in our hall had notes on them. I turned around to rip the note off of my door. “Salutations, good sirs and madams” it began. “Please meet me in the theater first thing in the morning. There is something which you all need to know. -Sincerely, Troy.”

“What’s this about?” I asked.

“What?” said Jay, emerging from his room.

“The notes Troy left us” I told him.

Jay looked at his and said “Oh no, this is bad. We need to see what Troy’s up to.”

One by one the other guys woke up, and looked at their notes.

“Well, let’s go!” shouted Buck.

We rushed towards the auditorium. However, when we passed by the girl’s hall, they were all huddled. “Good you’re here” said Cassy. “There’s an emergency.”

“We know” I told her.

“Wha-how do you know?” she asked.

“Troy left us these notes” I said.

“What? Let me see” she said, taking the note. “She looked it over and asked “Where’d you get this?”

“It was on my door when I woke up” I answered.

“I didn’t get one” said Cassy. “I don’t think any of is got one.”

“Weird” I said.

“Well, as urgent as it seems, that’s not what I was talking about” she informed us. “Sophie fractured her fist.”

“What, how?!” I asked.

“She was having a nightmare and she punched through the wall between her room and Rachel’s” Elliot told us. “But don’t worry, as soon as Rachel and May get back with some stuff from the nurse’s office, we’ll be good to go.”

Rachel and May came back, along with Monobird. “I heard what happened” Monobird said. “Are you alright?”

“It hurts…” said Sophie.

“It’s OK” said Rachel, comforting Sophie. “We got you a brace, everything is going to be fine.” Rachel applied some bandages and the brace to her wrist. “There you go.

“Right, now that we have that taken care of, let’s head to the auditorium” corralled Cassy.

“What’s this about?” asked May.

“Apparently, Troy has something he needs to share with us” Cassy answered. “Let’s go.” We all made our way to the theater.

When we got there, the screen was down. “Does he have a video for us?” asked Annabelle.

“…We’re all here…” said Jay.

“Let’s just sit down and see what he has for us” said Tammy. We all took our places. I was one of the last to take my seat. We watched the stage with baited breath. Suddenly the lights went out.

“Who turned out the lights?” shouted Cassy.

“Calm down, maybe this is just Troy being dramatic” said Pierce

I felt the person sitting next to me grip my hand tightly. We all then heard a loud thud coming from the stage. Then, a loud tink.

“WHAT WAS THAT?!” cried Andy.

Without thinking, I got out of my seat and made my way to the stage as best as I could. I didn’t even notice I was dragging the person holding my hand. I got up there, and then the lights came on, and what I saw shook me to my core.

Troy was face-down but with his head on his side. Blood was pouring out of his head. Troy’s monopad was right next to Troy, covered in blood and some kind of clearish liquid. The screen was on the page Monokuma sent us about who we could kill. Sure enough, it was Sophie. There was some splatter on the projection screen as well. And a few inches away was a metal pipe, coated in blood. Troy was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another body dropped. I'm always worried that people will see through my writing and realize whodunit right away. I don't think that's the case, but that's always in the back of my mind. Probably because I have it figured out myself. Anyway, it is sad to see Troy go. He was such a fun and dynamic character to write. Do you know who did it? Check back later to find out.


End file.
